20 FERTILIZERS AND 
ens the vitality of the tubers, which is robbing the future, 
and that the tubers are very likely to decay in winter 
storage as an after effect of the use of nitrate. Since 
the main effect of nitrate is because it supplies nitrogen, 
and inasmuch as nitrogen can be obtained in forms that 
have no evil after results, cautious growers of valuable 
stock will use stable and poultry manure instead, if the 
soil is not already sufficiently well supplied with stem 
and foliage making food. It cannot be repeated too 
often that any good average soil, good enough for corn 
and potatoes is rich enough for dahlias. The plants in 
such ground will make all the growth that is good for 
them. Generous applications of bone meal at planting, 
and quick acting top dressings as the blooming period 
is well advanced, with a little potash (which all root 
crops require), will increase profuseness of bloom, 
secure symetrically formed, fully developed flowers, 
heighten color of blooms, and cause better tuber growth. 
Commercial fertilizers are usually more readily 
obtained by the city gardener than any others. Re- 
member, however, that the soil must also have additions 
of humus (decayed vegetable matter) in considerable 
quantity. Forty per cent, additions of leaf mould, or 
of old sod and vegetable refuse compost, is none too 
much for many city lots, the ground there being apt to 
be exceedingly sterile and lacking in fibrous matter. 
For liquid manure use, of the dry fertilizers, half an 
ounce of sulphate of ammonia per gallon of water; or 
