POTASH PAYS 27 



SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT USING 

 FERTILIZERS 



In the Introduction to this booklet we mentioned the 

 fact that many farmers and fruit growers often preferred to 

 buy the ingredients, or ' "simples" as they are called in 

 California, and then make their own mixtures. This is a 

 good way, when the farmer knows how much potash, 

 phosphoric acid, and nitrogen are needed for the soil and 

 the crop to be grown thereon. 



Of course, the most expensive of the three essential 

 elements of plant food is the nitrogen, but fortunately 

 Science has come to the aid of the farmer and has shown 

 him how he can obtain a supply of nitrogen at a very 

 moderate cost. In a few words it may be stated that this 

 supply of nitrogen comes from the air, which is used by the 

 bacteria in the soil and by all leguminous crops, of which 

 clover and cowpeas are the most common. Thus, the 

 farmer who wants to get cheap nitrogen, raises a leguminous 

 crop and fertilizes his soil by turning it under. With 

 proper care and study only comparatively small amounts 

 of nitrogen, which is expensive whether in the form of 

 manure or in a commercial fertilizer, need to be bought, 

 and sometimes it may be omitted entirely, especially when 

 leguminous crops are grown in rotation. 



It is different with the mineral fertilizers, that is with 

 potash and phosphoric acid. They must be supplied in 

 certain amounts according to the natural fertility of the 

 soil, the requirements of the crop grown, and the system 

 of cropping. 



The following suggestions as to the composition of a 

 good average fertilizer should prove useful to farmers and 

 fruit growers who wish to make their own mixtures. The 



