TIME OF APPLYING FERTILIZERS. 39 



Nitrogen, however, especially when in the form of nitrate 

 of soda, or other very soluble compounds, will always give 

 best returns if used at planting time, or even after the plant- 

 ing as a topdressing. Nitrogen fertilizers generally are 

 readily soluble, and if not taken up by the plants shortly 

 after applying are apt to be washed away by rains and lost. 

 At times it is advantageous to apply nitrogen fertilizers 

 in two or three doses during the growing season, at 

 intervals of several weeks. 



PART III. 



EXPERIMENT FARM AT SOUTHERN PINES, N.G 



This farm was established through the enterprise of 

 the State Horticultural Society of North Carolina, near the 

 town of Southern Pines in that State, for the express pur- 

 pose of making the most thorough experiments with differ- 

 ent fertilizers on different crops. The plans and operations 

 are so outlined, that the plant food requirements of a great 

 variety of crops can be studied in such a manner as to 

 make the results useful, not alone to the special section in 

 which these experiments are located, but to every farmer, 

 vegetable and fruit grower in the United States. It was 

 essential in this connection to select a locality in a 

 climate suited to a variety of crops, and a soil of uniform 



