15 



sufficient nitrogen in suitable forms should be present in the 

 fertilizer to produce plants having thick, dark green leaves. A 

 properly compounded and highly available fertilizer is needed 

 in order to get the best results with all of these crops. 



Onions are likely to fail or partially fail if the soil is exceed- 

 ingly acid, and even on soils which are only moderately to 

 slightly acid applications of lime are likely to be helpful. If 

 the soil is deficient in lime, in nitrogen, in phosphoric acid, or 

 in potash, even though all of the other fertilizer ingredients 

 mentioned are present, onions tend to lag behind in growth. 

 In such cases they have thick necks, and do not ripen as they 

 should. If onions are grown on soils which are properly sup- 

 plied wdth lime, and if they receive sufficient nitrogen, an 

 abundant supply of available phosphoric acid, and a liberal 

 supply of potash, the tops of the onions should fall over and 

 ripening should proceed in a normal manner. 



Several instances have been brought to my attention within 

 the last tw^o or three years where growers were not able to 

 succeed with onions, and generally it was found to be due to 

 the fact that the land needed lime or that the grower had not 

 used enough available phosphoric acid, although in some cases 

 it was due to a deficiency of either potash or nitrogen. 



Cucumbers, Cantalou'pes, Watermelons, and Squashes. — All of 

 these crops, except watermelons, respond in a high degree to 

 liming on very acid soils. In fact, cucumbers and cantaloupes 

 especiallj^ cannot be grown successfully on exceedingly acid 

 soils until they are limed. The watermelon furnishes a marked 

 contrast to these plants, for good crops can be grown on soils 

 which are so acid that beets, spinach, lettuce, onions, and 

 cantaloupes utterly fail. Nevertheless, I have known instances 

 where a small application of lime containing considerable 

 quantities of magnesia seemed to be slightly beneficial, or at 

 least not noticeably injurious. Whether this was due to the 

 fact that watermelons need more magnesia than is required 

 by some other plants, I am not prepared to say. It has been 

 asserted that this is true of some of the flowering Ericaceae. 



Cucumbers, squashes, and melons should all receive heavy 

 fertilization with nitrogen, a fair to liberal amount of phos- 

 phoric acid, and a liberal quantity of potash. 



