FERTILIZERS FOR VEGETABLES 



217 



gency in some onions, or the strong disagreeable flavor of 

 some celery, unpleasant bitterness in lettuce, over-acidity in 

 tomatoes, entire absence of sweetness in peas, corn, beets, 

 turnips, etc. Then we may have undesirable texture as il- 

 lustrated in the coarse, tough, fibrous character in case of 

 beets, celery, radishes, lettuce, asparagus, corn, etc. 



Generally speaking, the ideal qualities of vegetables are 

 largely dependent on conditions that make possible quick and 

 uninterrupted growth. When growth is interrupted or un- 

 duly retarded, then some undesirable quality of flavor, tex- 

 ture, color, etc., is likely to develop. So far as interruption 

 of growth is due to lack of sunshine or of rainfall, when this 

 is the only source of water supply, one is, of course, helpless. 

 However, under favorable conditions of soil, of light, warmth 

 and moisture, the quality of vegetables can be fairly con- 

 trolled by judicious regulation of the amounts and kinds of 

 plant-food supplied. 



The Work of the Plant-Food Elements in Piants. 



In beginning our consideration of the use of fertilizers in 

 influencing the quality, yield and earliness of vegetables, let 

 us first take up some fundamental facts as to the particular 

 kinds of work done in plants by the principal plant-food 

 elements, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 



Nitrogen. 



Nitrogen shows its influence most strongly in the develop- 

 ment of the green parts of plants, the leaves and stems. 

 Thus, an abundant application of nitrate of soda is usually 

 followed by extreme luxuriance of stem and leaf growth. In 

 the growing of vegetables this effect is of the highest impor- 

 tance, especially in the case of those crops in which the 

 leaves and stems form the marketable crop, such as celery,, 

 asparagus, cabbage, onions, etc. And even in the case of 

 most crops like peas, beans, melons, corn, tomatoes, etc., nitro- 

 gen is of the greatest value, because we must have a good 

 growth of leaf and stem as a necessary preliminary for the 

 complete development of plants. We must remember that 

 the leaves constitute the working laboratory of the plant and 



