Fertilizers for Cereals and Grasses 223 



proved of great value for this crop. An application of 

 8 pounds of nitrogen and 18 of phosphoric acid, or 200 

 pounds to the acre of a mixture of 50 pounds of nitrate 

 of soda and 150 of acid phosphate, has proved quite as 

 profitable on medium soils as heavier applications, mainly 

 because the oat crop is a less certain one than corn ; be- 

 sides, it frequently suffers severe losses in harvesting, which 

 increase the risk from an expensive fertilization. The 

 application of potash is not so necessary if added in the 

 fertilizer for corn, as suggested, except on light, sandy 

 soils. 



It is not a profitable practice to use much manure in 

 oats land, if any, because it is liable to cause a stalky 

 growth and subsequent lodging and loss in harvest, and 

 furthermore, it may be utilized so much more profitably 

 for corn or some other crop which makes more of its growth 

 in mid-summer when the soil activities are at their greatest. 



Barley. 



The fertilizer requirements of barley are similar in 

 many ways to those of oats, although greater care should 

 be used in the application of nitrogen, especially should 

 the object of their growth be for malting. For this pur- 

 pose, a plump, heavy, well-ripened grain, rich in nitrogen, 

 is required. Too rank a growth of straw, caused by an 

 abundance of nitrogen, is of ten accompanied by immaturity 

 of grain ; besides, in moist seasons it is also likely to assist 

 in the promotion of rust. 



A fertilizer, therefore, which will help to avoid these 

 dangers, and at the same time supply the needs of the 

 plant, may be made up of 50 pounds of nitrate of soda, 

 150 of acid phosphate and 25 of muriate of potash to the 

 acre. This mixture used at the time of seeding will supply 



