HOW TO PREPARE AND FERTILIZE LAND 1 7 
If the place be small, one of these com- 
plete fertilizers would be more convenient 
than for one to try to mix them. 
When to apply depends on the need 
of the plant. Plants are most benefited 
when they receive extra nourishment 
in the early stages of their growth. 
For this reason it is often well to give 
the land an application of farm ma- 
nure and to apply some complete 
commercial fertilizer in the row. The 
fertilizer should, as a rule, be applied just 
before the crops are to be planted. It 
should be well harrowed into the soil. 
The commercial fertilizer acts as a starter, 
being quickly available, while the farm 
manure carries the crop through the 
season, the plant food in it being more 
slowly available. 
Kind of fertilizers to be used depends 
mainly on two things, viz., the condition 
of the soil and the crop to be grown. 
Generally speaking, sandy soils respond 
most freely to the application of fertilizers. 
When possible to obtain it, it is best to 
