MIXING FERTILIZERS AT HOME 



251 



use. That depends upon several things, such as : inher- 

 ent richness of the land ; thoroughness of tillage and 

 preparation ; nature of the crop (is it a legume or not) ; 

 richness of the fertilizer; and nature of climate and 

 season. If you are a careful observer, your judgment will 

 help you very much in settling this difficulty. 



Just remember that the only way to know the soil well 

 is to study it well ; you must watch it and experiment 

 with it. And so, in feeding it with artificial manures, you 

 must consider all these points if you would know just how 



NITROGEN 

 PHOSPHOROUS 

 POTASSIUM 

 6300 lb, 



NOTHING 

 2695 IbJ, 



THE SOIL TELLS ITS OWN STORY 



much of fertilizers per acre you shall apply. Rut you had 

 better do some testing work. \\ ith corn, for instance, you 

 can apply, on two rows, two hundred pounds of the fertil- 

 izer per acre; on the next two rows, four hundred; on 

 the next two rows, six hundred; on the next two rows, 

 eight hundred ; and on the next two rows, one thousand 

 pounds per acre. Every sort of cultivated crop, including 

 corn, cotton, potatoes, and tobacco, may be subjected to 

 such treatment, and the soil will reveal the secret it 

 holds if one is there. 



When and how to mix. I like the winter season best 

 for mixing fertilizers: it gives one plenty of time to get 

 his materials together; labor is available, and you can 



