380 The Land and Its Treatment 



a rule, the effects of commercial fertilizers. The harder 

 the clay, the less marked, in general, is the result, although 

 amendments (as lime) may have great effect in making 

 such soils granular. 



Again, the state of tillage has much to do with the 

 efficacy of a fertilizer. The element the plant needs may 

 be afforded more cheaply by giving better tillage than by 

 adding fertilizers; for tillage sets at work forces that un- 

 lock plant-food. On the other hand, fertilizer is more 

 usable by the plant on well-tilled soils : the plant can get 

 hold of it because the material is more evenly distributed ; 

 there is more moisture to dissolve it; the plant is more 

 comfortable and vigorous and thereby better able to appro- 

 priate it. The good gardener is the one who gets the most 

 out of his land by means of tillage and then adds fer- 

 tilizer to get more out of it. He uses fertilizer for the 

 purpose of securing an extra yield, not to jirevent the soil 

 from becoming exhausted. As a rule, the men Avho till 

 best buy most plant-food. Fertilizer is usually a losing 

 investment for a poor farmer. 



When to apply a fertilizer depends on (1) when it is 

 needed by the plant; (2) the kind of fertilizer; (3) the 

 soil; (4) the kind of plant; (5) the season of normal rain- 

 fall of the district. 



The more soluble the fertilizer, the looser the soil, the 

 shallower the roots, the later the material may be ap- 

 plied. With trees, it matters little whether fertilizer is 

 applied in fall or spring, for it is usually one or two years 

 before it affects the plant. With the general run of vege- 

 table crops and on soils in good tilth, it is usually best 

 to apply fertilizer in spring, sowing it on the surface and 



