COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 67 



amount of fertilizer will make up for poor tillage, insuffi- 

 cient soil moisture and a small percentage of vegetable 

 matter. More than this, the fertilizers applied will not 

 be of full value unless all other conditions are satisfac- 

 tory. It is impossible to incorporate fertilizer thoroughly 

 in a poorly prepared soil. If the moisture content is in- 

 sufficient the fertilizer cannot decompose or enter into 

 solution to become available to the growing plants. 

 Again, soils lacking in organic matter cannot continue to 



FIG. 12. WHEELBARROW FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTOR 



produce large crops even with the lavish use of fertilizers. 

 Harmony of all conditions must exist before it is possible 

 to harvest maximum crops of high quality. 



112. Methods of application. — In vegetable gardening 

 commercial fertilizers should be applied after plowing 

 and before much harrowing has been done. The ferti- 

 lizer will then be mixed thoroughly with the soil in mak- 

 ing preparations for sowing or planting. 



Various drills and distributors have been placed on the 



