Fertilizers for Cereals and Grasses 227 



be relied upon nearly to double the timothy crop. Under 

 some conditions a slight change of the mixture is advisable. 

 Upon heavy soils or limestone soils, the muriate of potash 

 may be reduced to one-half or even omitted entirely. The 

 nitrate of soda may be increased in mixtures for the same 

 type of soil to 150 pounds, but care should be exercised 

 in this matter because too large a proportion of nitrate of 

 soda is liable to cause too rapid a growth and subsequent 

 lodging and "firing/' It is often stated that nitrate of 

 soda causes a light, leafy hay, but this is only true when the 

 mixture is not properly balanced. It is not profitable to 

 top-dress timothy sods unless there is a sufficient number 

 of plants on the ground to make efficient use of the plant- 

 food which is immediately available and subject to loss 

 if not used. The proportionate increase in crop would be 

 the same, but the increase in yield would not be large 

 enough to show a profit over cost of application. In 

 every instance the application should be made as soon as 

 the crop has well started in the spring. 



The system of fertilization here outlined is not to be 

 advocated except under circumstances where it is not 

 possible or practicable to supply such an abundance of 

 plant-food as will guarantee a maximum production, as 

 in "intensive" practice, in which the yield is measured 

 by climatic and seasonal rather than soil conditions, 

 but rather such additions as will return a profit and at 

 the same time tend toward the improvement of soil. 

 This system is economical in the use of nitrogen, the 

 most expensive element. It provides a sufficient amount 

 of available plant-food to insure a reasonable increase 

 in crop, and it is well adapted to lead the farmer by easy 

 steps from the "extensive" to the "intensive" system of 

 fanning. 



