296 Fertilizers 



kind is provided as to make possible a rapid growth when 

 other conditions are favorable. This is one of the pri- 

 mary necessities, if a high yield of good quality product is 

 obtained. 



Lettuce. 



There is no market-garden crop which derives greater 

 benefit from heavy applications of stable manure than 

 lettuce. Besides increasing the amount of plant-food in 

 the soil, it helps to bring about that mechanical condition 

 of soil so important in successful lettuce-production. 

 Crispness and high quality are essential to make lettuce 

 readily marketable, hence an abundance of all the con- 

 stituents of plant-food in available form must be present 

 in the soil. An application of no less than 1000 pounds 

 of the basic mixture should be used at the time of plant- 

 ing, supplemented with dressings of nitrate of soda at the 

 rate 100 to 150 pounds to the acre at intervals of ten to 

 fifteen days after the plants are of fair size. 



The fertilization of corn salad, cress, endive and parsley, 

 the other plants of this group, may be essentially the 

 same as that suggested for lettuce. They are all grown 

 for the leaves and require fertile soils liberally supplied 

 with all the constituents of plant-food in available forms. 



PULSE CROPS 



Peas and beans of the various kinds and varieties belong 

 to the legume family, and possess the power of acquiring 

 nitrogen from the air; they are, therefore, ordinarily 

 placed in a separate class in respect to their fertiliza- 

 tion with nitrogen. When they are grown as market- 

 garden crops, however, it is frequently the wiser economy 



