90 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



rate of application, character of soil and subsoil, convenience of the farmer 

 and the economy in applying. Plenty of plant food should be within 

 reach of the plants when growth is rapid. Fertilizers that are readily 

 lost by leaching should not be applied long before needed. Heavy applica- 

 tions may be divided into two or three portions and applied as needed. 

 On heavy soils with retentive subsoils leaching is slight. On sandy soils 

 it may be pronounced. As a rule it will be economy to apply small and 

 moderate applications of fertilizer just prior to or at seeding time. Most 

 planting and drilling machinery is now supplied with fertilizer attach- 

 ments. These provide for the proper distribution of the fertilizer at the 

 time of seeding or planting without much additional labor. So long as 

 the amount which is distributed in the immediate vicinity of the seed is 

 not sufficient to interfere with germination and early growth, the method is 

 satisfactory. If the concentration of the soil solution in contact with 

 seeds equals the concentration within the cells of the seeds, they will be 

 unable to absorb water from the soil. This may prevent germination and 

 cause the seed to rot. For this reason it is never wise to apply large 

 applications in this way. Such applications should be applied some 

 time in advance of seeding or planting in order that the fertilizers may 

 have become uniformly disseminated through the soil. Another method 

 in common use is to broadcast a portion of the fertilizer and mix it with 

 the soil by harrowing. The remainder is then applied through the fertil- 

 izer attachment of the seeding machinery. As previously noted, soluble 

 nitrates may be advantageously applied just at the time when the growing 

 crop is most in need of available nitrogen. This is especially applicable 

 on sandy, leachy soils. So far as danger of loss is concerned, the potash 

 and phosphorus may be applied at almost any time. 



Readily soluble fertilizers are preferable for the top dressing of grass 

 land, and should be applied very early in the spring, just as the grass is 

 starting to grow. Early application is necessary because the growth 

 demands it early in the season, and also because the fertilizer must be 

 carried into the soil by rains in order to be brought into contact with the 

 roots. 



Organic fertilizers, and especially manure, are best applied some 

 time in advance of seeding. The early stages of decomposition frequently 

 give rise to deleterious compounds. These should have time to disappear 

 before the crop is started. 



Methods of Application. — The manner of applying fertilizer depends 

 on a number of conditions, especially the kind of fertilizer, the amount 

 to be used, the character of the crop and the method of its tillage. It is 

 a good practice to distribute the potash and phosphoric acid in that portion 

 of the soil where the root activity of the crop grown is most abundant. 

 In case of inter-tilled crops this will generally be in the lower two-thirds 

 of the plowed portion of the soil. The surface two inches are so frequently 

 cultivated during the early period that roots are destroyed. At other 



