:6o WHAT THE AUTHORITIES SAY ABOUT COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS. 



per acre per year to grapes, and as high as $40 per acre 

 per year to asparagus and other heavy feeders. Almost 

 all of it is applied broadcast, and harrowed in thoroughly. 

 For most garden and farm crops, I think I get the best 

 returns for the outlay where I use about half fertil- 

 izers and half barn-yard manure. — Frank Wheeler, 

 Mass. 



WALTER F. TABER LIKES QUICK EFFECTS. 



I find barn-yard manure is necessary to give the vege- 

 table matter and to insure porosity of the soil, if not 

 supplied by turning under green crops. Chemical fertil- 

 izers afford the best and surest means of supplying plant- 

 food to the crop because of their soluble condition. Are 

 they as cheap as barn-yard manure or cheaper? I 

 believe them to be cheaper, taking into account the cost 

 of applying. How do they compare in cost for results 

 obtained and in lasting effect? Sufficient vegetable 

 matter being incorporated with the soil by the applica- 

 tions of barn-yard manures or the plowing under of 

 green crops, I get better results in growth by applying 

 chemical manures than by additional barn-yard manures 

 at same cost, and also in quality in some things, especially 

 potatoes. I never take into consideration the lasting 

 effects when applying chemical fertilizers, as I am look- 

 ing for immediate effects ; but if from any cause the 

 crop should fail to use the fertilizer, I know where it is, 

 and that the soil will return it for the succeeding crop. 

 I use high-grade complete fertilizers and nitrate of soda. 

 For potatoes I apply from 800 to 1,500 pounds in the 

 drill over the seed-pieces. I believe best results will be 

 obtained by using it at two different times — in the drill 

 at planting, and when the tubers begin to grow. For 

 corn I apply from 500 to 800 pounds per acre, and for 

 other vegetables as much as seems necessary, perhaps 

 an average of 1,000 pounds or more. I use chemical 

 fertilizers entirely in the growing of the strawberry 

 plant the first season, thus avoiding seeds and weeds that 

 always are produced from stable manures. I also use 

 chemical fertilizers on my grapes to insure quality. 

 Would use stable manures to increase growth of vine if 

 necessary. I grew the past season on 90 square rods of 

 land 200 bushels of R. N.-Y. No. 2 potatoes, or at the 

 rate of 354 bushels per acre. From ^/i oi an acre I sold 

 13,000 ears of sweet-corn, and averaged over $500 per 

 acre from my strawberry-ground of 4)^ acres. — Walter 

 F. Taber, Poughkeepsie, N. V. 



MANSFIELD MILTON SAYS, APPLY WHAT THE SOIL NEEDS. 



It is only by experiment that any market-gardener 

 can determine what fertilizer is beneficial on his land. 

 What may be of considerable value to one may be of 

 little use to another on different soils and different crops. 



My soil may be deficient in phosphoric acid, while my 

 neighbors may be well supplied with it, but deficient in 

 potash ; therefore it would be needless for me to expect 

 to realize as much benefit as my neighbor from a fertil- 

 izer having a large percentage of potash but deficient in 

 phosphoric acid. For the last 18 years I have used com- 

 mercial fertilizers more or less in the production of 

 fruits and vegetables, and while in some seasons I could 

 not see I had reaped any benefit from them whatever, in 

 other seasons they have paid me large profits on my in- 

 vestment. Last year, although remarkably dry during 

 the months of July, August and September, I used a 

 fertilizer on my tomatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions, 

 beets and pickle cucumbers, which gave better results 

 than anything I ever tried before, the formula of which 

 was ; Ammonia, 3 to 8 per cent. ; available phosphoric 

 acid, 6 to 8 ; sulphate of lime (from bone), 20 to 25; 

 potash as sulphate, 8 to 10. I used this in two appli- 

 cations, one at seed-sowing time and again when crops 

 were half grown. 



The above fertilizer, with the addition of 200 pounds 

 of nitrate of soda to the acre, is excellent for early 

 cabbage and cauliflower, but for late crops of the same 

 the nitrate of soda has no apparent effect. I do not 

 consider these fertilizers have any efifect on the crops the 

 second year, nor do I think they pay unless used on 

 ground which has been kept in a high state of cultiva- 

 tion, and well-supplied with either animal manures, or 

 a good crop of clover plowed under. The best fertil- 

 izers for strawberries, I find, are pure ground bone finely 

 crushed, and wood-ashes, both of which with me are 

 lasting in their effect, often better the second year than 

 the first. In this connection I may state that the only 

 fertilizer I have found to prevent ;club-root in cabbage 

 is clover sown in the spring with some grain crop. 

 After harvest allow the clover to make as strong a growth 

 as possible, and plow it under just before freezing 

 weather. If early varieties are used, give an appli- 

 cation of 200 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda. Too 

 many gardeners are not liberal enough in their applica- 

 tion of commercial fertilizers. I have often seen 200 

 pounds per acre of apparently no use, while an appli- 

 cation of half a ton on the same land and similar crops 

 paid big profits. But under no conditions would I advise 

 the use of any of these fertilizers largely until they have 

 been tested on small areas, to determine the brand most 

 suitable for their particular soil. I find that all succu. 

 lent vegetables of which the leaves or roots are used re- 

 quire manures rich in phosphoric acid ; while all fruit- 

 bearing vegetables, such as tomatoes, egg-plants, melons 

 and cucumbers, require such as have a high percentage 

 of potash. — Mansfield Milton, O/nf. 



