CHAPTER XVI

The Need of Commercial Fertilizers [ 159-170]
Loss of plant-food 159
Prejudice against commercial fertilizers 160
Are fertilizers stimulants? 161
Soil analysis 162
Physical analysis 163
The use of nitrogen 164
Phosphoric-acid requirements 165
The need of potash 166
Fertilizer tests 167
Variation in soil 168

CHAPTER XVII

Commercial Sources of Plant-food [ 171-187]
Acquaintance with terms 171
Nitrate of soda 171
Sulphate of ammonia 178
Dried blood 173
Tankage 174
Fish 175
Animal bone 175
Raw bone 177
Steamed bone 178
Rock-phosphate 178
Acid phosphate 180
Basic slag 183
Muriate of potash 184
Sulphate of potash 185
Kainit 185
Wood-ashes 185
Other fertilizers 186
Salt 186
Coal-ashes 187
Muck 187
Sawdust 187

CHAPTER XVIII

Purchasing Plant-food [ 188-197]
Necessity of purchase 188
Fertilizer control 189
Brand names 191
Statement of analysis 191
Valuation of fertilizers 193
A bit of arithmetic 194
High-grade fertilizers 196

CHAPTER XIX

Home-mixing of Fertilizers [ 198-208]
The practice of home-mixing 198
Effectiveness of home-mixing 198
Criticisms of home-mixing 199
The filler 202
Ingredients in the mixture 203
Materials that should not be combined 207
Making a good mixture 207
Buying unmixed materials 208

CHAPTER XX

Mixtures for Crops [ 209-219]
Composition of plant not a guide 209
The multiplication of formulas 209
A few combinations are safest 210
Amount of application 211
Similarity of requirements 213
Maintaining fertility 215
Fertilizer for grass 216
All the nitrogen from clover 218
Method of applying fertilizers 218
An excess of nitrogen 219