224 Fertilizers 



the needed minerals and sufficient nitrogen to give the 

 plants a good start. From three weeks to a month after 

 seeding, an application of 50 to 75 pounds of nitrate of 

 soda to the acre will help to insure a proper development 

 and maturity, and provide for the largest yield of grain 

 without injuring the quality for malting purposes. 



Wheat. (See Fig. 15, Plate VIII.) 



The fertilizing of wheat will depend largely upon 

 the treatment of preceding crops. For wheat following 

 the oats crop, the remainder of the manure may be ap- 

 plied before plowing, well harrowed into the surface soil, 

 and a fertilizer rich in available phosphoric acid, and con- 

 taining only a sufficient amount of nitrogen in available 

 forms to insure a good fall growth applied. When the 

 land has been well fertilized for previous crops, a dissolved 

 animal bone superphosphate is an excellent fertilizer, 

 because it contains the elements, phosphoric acid and 

 nitrogen, in good forms and proportions. Dissolved bone, 

 however, is rather scarce and an expensive source of plant- 

 food, and a mixture composed of 25 pounds of nitrate of 

 soda, 75 of ground bone, 200 of acid phosphate and 25 

 of muriate of potash will give quite as satisfactory results. 

 If more nitrogen is needed than is provided by 200 to 

 300 pounds of this fertilizer in order to mature the crop, 

 which is frequently the case, particularly if the winter has 

 been severe, or if the land is light, it may be applied in the 

 spring, and preferably in the form of a nitrate, which dis- 

 tributes readily, and is immediately available, advantages 

 not possessed by other forms. At this period of its growth, 

 the crops need to make a rapid appropriation of nitroge- 

 nous food, though the conditions are not yet favorable for 

 the change of nitrogenous organic compounds in the soil 



