line. 
It is not possible to give the optimum 
soil reaction for any crop under all condi- 
tions, because the character of the soil, 
the humus supply, the moisture supply, and 
other factors may influence the response 
of the crop to soil reaction. Results of many 
experiments conducted on a large number 
of soil types indicate that vegetable crops 
may be classified roughly as to their re- 
sponse to soil reaction. Such a classifica- 
tion or grouping is given below: 
Requirements of Vegetable Crops 
Crops that should be grown on 
Getemecollsn (Din wo. TON. 5). tor 
the purpose of disease control 
Crops that will do well 
on medium limed soils 
(ol e5:53to o:b\eareare 
Crops that require 
fairly well limed 
soils (pH 6.0 to 
tolerant to medium acid 6.5) 
soils 
Strongly acid ‘Medium acid Slightly acid 
Sweet Potatoes Snap Beans Parsnips Asparagus 
Potatoes Lima Beans Peppers Beets 
Broccoli Squash Celery 
Carrots Salsify Muskmelons 
Cabbage Strawberries Lettuce 
Cauliflower Sweet Corn Leeks 
Collards Pumpkins Onions 
. Cucumbers Tomatoes Peas 
Eggplant Turnips Spinach 
Kale Radishes Swiss Chard 
Mustard Brussels Sprouts 
Parsley Watermelon 
State Agricultural Experiment Stations 
and most County Agricultural Agents’ 
offices are now equipped to conduct soil 
acidity tests. 
Use of Fertilizer 
The use of commercial fertilizer such as 
Southern States Open Formula 10-10-10, 
5-10-5, 5-10-10, 8-8-8, or 4-12-8 will help 
you obtain greater yields from your gar- 
den. The amount of plant food contained 
in any fertilizer is told by the analysis 
which: appears om the package. For..ex- 
ample Southern States Open Formula 
Richmond, Virginia 
5-10-5 indicates by the first number that 
there is 59% nitrogen, the second figure 
shows 10% phosphoric acid, and the third 
5% potash. As a rule, high nitrogen fer- 
tilizer is recommended for leafy vegetables 
such as lettuce, high phosphate for such 
vine crops as tomatoes, beans and squash, 
and high potash for root crops such as 
carrots. 
Usually it is advantageous to apply. a 
generous amount of fertilizer just before 
45 
