Food for even a better response to Nitrate applications than the 



^"*^ grains, and acre appHcations of 300 to 400 pounds are not 



""^ unusual; 100 pounds with the seed, and 100 pounds at the 



time of singling, the remainder in one or two applications a 



month apart. Permanent pastures^ unless manured every 



year, should have 100 pounds Nitrate per year per acre. 



For soiling crops, where the plants are not matured, the 



Nitrate application may be largely increased with profit. 



For potatoes, Dr. Dyer advises 200 to 300 pounds of acid 



phosphate, 300 to 400 pounds of kainit, and 100 pounds 



of Nitrate of Soda made in two applications of 50 pounds 



each — this on land that has already been heavily treated 



with farmyard manures. 



J J r.,. The form of ammonia most active as 



How Nitrate , r j • l m- j r 1 



T plant rood is the Nitrated rorm, such as 



Increases ^ . . . ,,. r c j ah 



wru . r^ ammonia exists in JNitrate or boda. All 

 wheat Crops. , . , , . 



other ammoniates must be converted into 



this form before they can be used as food by plants. Sir 



John B. Lawes wisely remarks : " When we consider 



that the application of a few pounds of ammonia (Nitrogen) 



in Nitrate of Soda to a soil which contains several thousand 



pounds of ammonia in its organic form, is capable of 



increasing the crop from 14 to 40, or even 50 bushels 



of wheat per acre, I think it must be apparent to all 



that we have very convincing evidence of Nitric acid 



being the main source of Nitrogen (ammonia) in plants." 



The ammonia of Nitrate of Soda, Nitrated ammonia it 



may be called for convenience, is immediately available 



as plant food, and should therefore not be applied 



until plants are ready to use it. By the ready supply of 



available ammoniate plant food, voung plants are able to 



establish such a vigor of growth that they can much better 



resist disease, and the attacks of insects and parasites. The 



^,.^ ^ r> famous experiments of Lawes and Gilbert 

 Nitrate Com- n 1 ^ j i j j l 



... at Rothamsted have demonstrated that 

 pared with .... i l • 



P . w cereals utilize more than three times as 



much of the Nitrogen in Nitrate of Soda as 

 nure. • • • 



of the Nitrogen (ammonia) contained in 



farmyard manure ; in practice, four and one-half tons of 



farmyard manure supply only as much actual ammonia 



plant food as 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda, so far as 



making crops is concerned. 



