FERTILIZERS 



mum yield. This plant food may be secured 

 from different sources. Tillage alone will not 

 render sufficient available plant food to ma- 

 ture a perfect crop in the average soil, there- 

 fore the direct application of plant food in the 

 form of animal manures, green manures, or 

 commercial fertilizers, is necessary in every 

 well managed garden. 



Stable manure is without doubt the most 

 valuable source of plant food for all soils and 

 all classes of vegetables. Stable manure, if 

 added each year, will not only be a continual 

 source of plant food but will change the physi- 

 cal condition of the soil, while commercial fer- 

 tilizers may show marked eflFects quickly but 

 are often disastrous if wrongly applied. Few 

 gardens are large enough to grow a crop of 

 clover or other plants, which may be turned 

 under in one or two years, though this man- 

 agement is one of the most valuable sources 

 of plant food as well as a benefit to the texture 

 of the soil. 



Fresh manure, especially where the animals 

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