FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION 53 



Hen manure is good for the garden, but it is very 

 strong and should not be applied too freely nor in contact 

 with the roots. In fact, all fertilizers and manures should 

 be well mixed with the soil, so that it will not hurt the roots. 



The important thing in any garden is not to allow the 

 weeds to get a start. They are easily kept down when young 

 by stirring the soil, but once allowed to gain headway, the 

 labor of fighting them is greatly increased. Weeds kill 

 easiest when the sun shines hot. 



Stable manure is not a perfectly-balanced ration for 

 plants, because it contains rather too much nitrogen and not 

 quite enough of the other essentials. Therefore it should be 

 "balanced" by the addition of potash and phosphoric acid (as 

 advised in the forepart of this chapter). 



A "complete" fertilizer must contain these three ingredi- 

 ents: Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash. A well-balanced 

 commercial mixture suitable for average garden purposes 

 should analyze about as follows: Nitrogen, four per cent.; 

 phosphoric acid, eight per cent. ; potash, ten per cent. 



Market gardeners sometimes use a special form of a hoe 

 called a "scuffle" hoe. It derives its name from the way it 

 is scuffled or shuffled back and forth close to the surface, 

 doing quick work in killing weeds and leaving an even sur- 

 face. But it is not adapted to loosening up the soil. 



The advised quantities of fertilizers per acre mentioned 

 in this chapter aren't of much help to a reader who has only 

 a small garden patch. So here's a rule to help him to figure 

 out the matter to meet his own requirements: 1,000 pounds 

 to the acre is six and one-quarter pounds to each square rod. 



It is generally best to practise shallow cultivation. I 

 usually set my horse cultivator to run about two inches deep; 

 this plan best conserves moisture, and avoids all danger of 

 cutting roots. Once in ten days is not too often to cultivate; 

 and always, after a rain, the ground should be stirred with 

 cultivator, rake or hoe as soon as dry enough to work. 



Several times in this chapter I have referred to "broad- 

 casting" fertilizers. This can be done by hand with a shovel, 

 or by the aid of a machine fertilizer spreader. Better yet, 

 the fertilizer can be drilled in with an ordinary grain drill 

 or with a special fertilizer drill thus requiring no "har- 

 rowing in" afterward. Some gardeners find that it is more 

 economical to apply fertilizers and manure only to the row 

 or the hill; this plan certainly saves fertilizer, but it requires 

 more fuss and work. 



