8 FOOD FOR PLANTS 



distribution, the Nitrate should be well mixed with 

 from three to five parts of fine loam or sand. 



Much has been said and written about Nitrate of 

 Soda exhausting the soil. This is all a mistake and 

 is the outcome of incorrect reasoning. Nitrate of 

 Soda does not exhaust soils. It promotes the de- 

 velopment of the leafy parts of plants, and its effects 

 are at once noticeable in the deep, rich green, and 

 vigorous growth of crops. The growth of plants is 

 greatly energized by its use, for the Nitrate in supply- 

 ing an abundance of nitrogenous food to plants, 



General East and West Section of the Nitrate District of 

 Chile. Vertical Scale Exaggerated. 



imparts to them a thrift and vigor which enables 

 their roots to gather in the shortest time the largest 

 amount of other needed foods from a greater sur- 

 face of surrounding soil. The increased consump- 

 tion of phosphoric acid and potash is due to the 

 increase in the weight of the crop. The office of the 

 Nitrate is to convert the raw materials of the soil 

 into a crop; for we obtain by its use, as Dr. Griffiths 

 has tersely said, "the fullest crop with the greatest 

 amount of profit, with the least damage to the land." 



