MIXTURES FOR CROPS 



may be recovered in the grain crop, and at the 

 same time a good sod will be made possible for 

 the permanent improvement of the land. It is 

 a safe business rule that land should be left un- 

 cultivated unless enough plant-food can be pro- 

 vided in some way for a good yield. The man 

 who cannot incur a heavy fertilizer bill, when 

 necessary, should restrict acreage for his own sake. 

 Similarity of Requirements. Many of our 

 staple crops are very similar in their fertilizer 

 requirements, and this simplifies fertilization. 

 Setting aside the impression gained from the dis- 

 similarity in the so-called corn, potato, wheat, and 

 grass fertilizers on the market, the farmer knows 

 that the soil which is in a good state of fertility 

 is best for any of them, and if the soil is hard-run, 

 it should have its plant-food supply supplemented. 

 The hard-run soil usually is lacking in available 

 supplies of all three plant-food constituents. If 

 a fertilizer containing 3 per cent of nitrogen, 10 

 per cent of phosphoric acid, and 6 per cent of potash 

 serves the wheat well, it will serve the timothy 

 that starts in the wheat. Likewise it will serve 

 the corn, although a heavier application will be 

 needed because corn is a heavy feeder. Ex- 

 perience has taught that it will serve the potato 



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