Fertilizers for Various Special Crops 351 



product is an important consideration, and an excess of 

 available nitrogen which is liable to cause a too rank 

 growth and green hops of an undesirable quality should 

 be avoided . Hence, 600 to 800 pounds of th e following mix- 

 ture would supply sufficient plant-food in the right forms : 



Nitrate of soda 50 Ib. 



Dried blood 100 Ib. 



Tankage 200 Ib. 



Acid phosphate 450 Ib. 



Muriate of potash 200 Ib. 



FLAX 



Flax is a peculiar crop to feed because it has a very 

 fine tap root and few root-hairs, and because it makes its 

 growth in a relatively short period of time, forty or fifty 

 days, it is often termed a dainty feeder. Few investi- 

 gations have been made to determine the best kinds and 

 amounts of plant-food to use. The practice of successful 

 growers seems to show that liberal applications of manure 

 or the use of green-manure for two or more seasons sup- 

 plemented with nitrate of soda as needed gives satisfactory 

 results. In the absence of farm manure or green-manure, 

 300 to 400 pounds of a mixture made as follows should 

 supply sufficient amounts of the elements, though nitrate 

 of soda may still be used, as needed, as a top-dressing : 



Nitrate of soda 250 Ib. 



Dried blood 100 Ib. 



Acid phosphate 500 Ib. 



Muriate of potash 150 Ib. 



MISCELLANEOUS CROPS 



Other crops of importance for which the need of fer- 

 tilizers is frequently apparent include sorghum, buck- 



