VI 



THE USE OF FERTILIZERS 



ANY amateur gardeners 

 are under the impression 

 that their plants need 

 feeding when they begin 

 to languish, or when they 

 show a disposition to rest, 

 and the first thing they do 

 is to apply a fertilizer of some kind, generally 

 in considerable quantity, on the principle that 

 if a little is good a large amount must be a good 

 deal better. The result is, nine times out of 

 ten, that the plants are injured rather than 

 benefited, because they are not in a condition 

 to make use of a fertilizer. It is not more food 

 that is needed at such times rather, as little 

 food as possible, in order to give the digestive 

 organs of the plants an opportunity to regain 

 the tone they have lost, to some extent, by 

 overwork, until a sort of general exhaustion 

 has taken place. The application of a rich 

 food, at such a time, may force growth, but it 

 will be an unhealthy one, since it is secured 



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