Milford chronicle., 1922-07-14
RICH SOIL SURE
TO Get RESULTS.
Danger in Use Of Too Much CON-
merCiaI Fertilizer; May In
iure the Plants.
As TOP OR SIDE DRESSING
May Be Mixed With Soil Along Rows
During the Period of Growth
Mixtures Containing Much
Nitrogen Are Favored.

A limited quantity of high-grade COM
mercial fertilizer can be used to ad-
vantage on garden soils even where a
considerable supply of barnyard
manures have been applied. Com
merclal fertilizers act quickly and can
be used to special advantage where it
is desired to mature crops in a short
period of time.
The best results can be obtained by
the use of fertilizer on land that is
well filled with organic matter. How
ever fair results may be obtained by
the use of fertilizer on land that has
not been manured and which is de-
ficient in organic matter, according to
the United States Department of Agri-
culture.
The great danger in the use of COM
mercial fertilizers is that too large
quantities may be applied and cause
injury to the plants It must be borne
in mind that commercial fertilizers are
a very concentrated form of plant food
and, therefore, should be used in
moderation.
Amount Needed in Garden.
Market gardeners frequently use as
much as 1000 pounds of commercial
fertilizer on an acre of ground. This
would be at the rate of about or 5
pounds to a plot of ground 10 feet in
each direction or 100 square feet. As
suming that the average backyard
garden is about 80 by 60 feet in size.
so to 20 pounds of standard, high-grade
truckers fertilizer would be all that
would be safe to apply on a garden Of
those dimensions. Under most con-
dltions 30 pounds will be the maximum
amount to use.
Commercial fertilizers are usually put
I'D in sacks containing 100, 1877 or 200 !
pounds, and a good plan would be for
two or more gardeners to join together
in buying fertilizer.
''@"u,u-, Methods Of Application.
There are two Or three methods of
applying commercial fertilizers. The
first and most common is by scattering |
the fertilizer broadcast over the land |
after it has been plowed and narrowed, |
then giving the soil second and even
a third narrowing to mix the fertilizer
with it thoroughly. Another method
is to apply the fertilizer underneath the
rows, the plan being to open the fur
rows, scatter in the fertilizer, then, |
by means Of a single-shovel plow or
wheel hoe, thoroughly mix the fertilizer
with the soil in the bottom of the fur
row. The surface soil is then re-
turned and no seeds are planted for a
few days until the fertilizer becomes
thoroughly incorporated with the
soil.
The third method of applying COM
mercial fertilizers is to use them as
a top or side dressing along the rows
Of plants during the period of growth.
Nitrate Of soda and fertilizer mixtures
containing a considerable percentage
of nitrogen are generally used for this
purpose. When using fertilizer as a
side dressing care should be taken that
1t is not applied too near the base OF
the plants, but at little distance from
the row, and then it should be culti-
vated into the upper ? or 8 inches of
soil, so that the small feeder roots Of
plants will gradually reach 1t.
Elements in Fertilizers.
The three main elements Of plant
food contained In commercial fertilizers
are phosphoric acid, nitrogen, and
potash. Nitrogen has the effect Of
stimulating the leaf growth, and phos-
phoric acid and potash have tendency
to increase root growth and to mature
the seeds Of the plants. Root crops and
potatoes require a reasonable amount
of potash. Corn, beans, and others OF
the garden crops, which are grown for
their pods or seeds. want sufficient
supply of phosphoric acid, while let
tuce, celery. swiss chard, and others
of the salad or leaf crops require