The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-21

The soil for vegetable growing
should be rich and well supplied with
humus or organic matter. High quality
vegetables can not be produced on poor
soil, for to be crisp and tender they
must make a quick growth. This can
be had only when the soil contains suffi-
Gent available plant food, and is in
good physical condition.
Barnyard or stable manure is the
best fertilizer because il furnishes
both plant food and organic matter.
Unleached stable manure, in which
straw or finely cut corn fodder has
been used as litter, is the best Ma
nure IN which shavings or leaves have
been used is not as good. City street
sweepings are frequently available at
low cost, but must be used with care
as they are liable to contain large
amounts of mineral oil from the deeom-
position of paving material and drip
pings from automobiles. The manure
should be applied to the freshly plowed
or spaded ground so that it will have
! time to decay before planting time If
very coarse manure is used it should
be plowed under.
| Turn Under Leglunes.
! Where manure is not available, some
legumlnous crop. such as cowpeas, soy
beans, vetch, or crimson clover, should
be turned under to supply humus and
a part of the nitrogen. In addition to
the humus added to the soil through the
growth of these crops, the cultivation
necessitated by their growth tends 10
make fertilizing elements, especially
potash, available in many soils The
use of commercial fertilizers is advis-
able in some eases, but owing to the
scarcity and high price Of both nitro
gen and potash the use Of commercial
fertilizers containing large amounts OF
these materials is not advisable unless
these elements can not be secured
through the use of manures. If sufh
cient land Is available for gardening
purposes so that half the area can b,
devoted to leguminous crops each sea
son, good results may be had by using
very little commercial fertilizer.
Phosphates often Advisable.
Phosphates are relatively inexpen
5 sive and their use Is advisable in mos
= eases They are especially advisable
: in that they aid in bringing the crop
5 TO maturity. An application of from
300 to 600 pounds Of acid phosphat
= per acre will usually be sufficient.
a mixed fertilizer is applied, one con
tanning from , to per cent nitrogen
5 to 10 per cent phosphoric acid an
8 to per cent potash will give goo,
results. The nitrogen may be had fror
cottonseed meal, dried blood, fish scraI
or tankage. The phosphoric acid ma
be had i'll the form of bone meal O
acid phosphate. The potash NAV b
had in the form of hardwood ashes. Q
some Of the potash salts. These, how
ever, are very high in price and har
To obtain. The following formula
suggested for a good garden fertilizer
Per Per
acre. So. 70,
Chicken or pigeon ma
hure ............ 5 tons ~ Id
Hardwood ashes .. 1000 lbs. 6 Id
Acid phosphate 49,. 1000 lbs. 10
The acid phosphate and the ashe
may be mixed and applied. The nj
nure should be applied separately.
Uso Fertilizers Early.
Fertilizers should be applied to tn
soil as soon as it is in condition, an
narrowed in. If desired to make late
application, after the plants are Sc
the material should be applied betwee
the rows a few inches from the plant
The use of lime is advisable, especia
ly on heavy soils. 1t is necessary
use it in connection with green m:
nures or the soil viii become acid.
may be applied in the form of al
slaked lime, which is usually mixtu
of the hydroxid and carbonate of ca
cium, as ground lime, or as groun
limestone. The ground limestone
slower in its action than the oXid
the carbonate. From five to 10 pounds
the ground limestone and half til
amount of the ground, burned lime
a sufficient application for each il
square feet OF soil
About 80 per cent OF ordinary ear
is not soil at all, but consists of q