The preparation of sell with fertilizers now regarded essential, if the full value of a packet of seeds is to be realized.
First class seeds such as are now normally obtainable all over the world ate very much in advance of their forebears of a decade or two ago and respond all the more to Liberal treatment of a balanced kind, By liberal treatment is not meant prodigal dressings of highly concentrated manures, sploshed on wholesale, but a gradual, careful and sustained application of highly diluted toodstuft vals during growth, preparation of the soil beforehand forms only a small part of the work, There are, however, certain essentials which should be observed connected with the three main food elements, Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid, and Potash.
Nitrogen is very easily lost from, the sell, especially in hot, damp, climates where the bacterial output of Nitrate is very rapid. This production goes on irrespective of the needs of the plant. A heavy shower of rain or a flood will drain all surplus stocks Nitrate temporenly from the soil. This however is. argument against proper drainage. In the first place, even were the Nitrate supplies preserved by retaining the water, they would not long remain in storage owing to the activities of the anaerobic bacteria, which flourish in the absence of Oxygen and attack valuable dissolved nitrates.
Secondly, and by no means less important, a plant's roots must have So there is no way out of the ficulty except by seeing to it that sources of nitrate supply are well maintained. So far as preparation goes, available Nitrogen is essential during the first stages of growth and should be incorporated with the sell before sowing or translating, Organic matter, cow manure, beancake, ete. suitably weathered, will supply Nitrogen, but hardly perhaps with sufficient Luxuriance or of the proper Kind, to soothe the growing pains of voracious seedlings.
Tt is always the case that a good
supply your is oF seedlings star i half the, bal therefore with "some well diluted chemical fertilizer containing either ammonia or some other form of quickly Available Nitrogen. Nitrogen in the form of animonia is to be recommended because, while quick acting compared with' organic. fertilizers, yet does: mot wash out of the soil, while still in the form of ammonia. The nitrate is produced therefrom by bacterial action, the rate of production varying with the temperature and moisture. Thus in moist warm weather, when a plant may be expected to grow most quickly, the supply of nitrate from Ammonia will increase at ara corresponding to the plant's need! Tt is as a rule easy to differentiate between a seed bed prepared with 'a quick acting Nitrogenous manure and one without. The growth of the former will be noticeably more advanced and there will be a bigger proportion of those strong stocky looking seedlings that gardeners al-, ays pick out for permanent bouk ions.
Needless to say this does not apply to. transplanted bushes. oF trees. The important thing with these is to see, first, that their now anchorage does not give direct contact with any kind of stimalating influence, such as lime (quick or slaked), ammonia, fresh manure or any kind of acid or s0 to speak "active" fertilizer, and secondly that the topside growth is out down. 20 a8 to balance the now curtailed root system. Another equally" {mportant point, if the newly planted Ornament {s to establish a good roat system with the minimum of delay, {is to seo that the earth below and around the plant is well loosened. As an example of what soil loosening will do for a young tree, the experiment was tried in America of dynamiting the holes into which certain fledgling spruce were to be sot, Tt was observed that these trees made twice the growth of their neighbours of the same age, which had been sot in haje dug in the ordinary way, the reason being of course that the forge of the explosion produced deep evacks. in sell, down which the growing roots made easy progress. Readers will adopt this-plan at their own Risk. "Tt should not be necessary to mention that soil dug of loosened a depth of more than 18 inches should not be turned over more than can be helped, bringing the infertile subsoil to the surface, Tes quite permissible to prepare the ground with fertilizers 90 Jong fas they are suficiontly far from the scene of operations to prevent direct contact with the amputated root stumps. For instance a layer of cow manure and bone flour six Inchea to one foot below a newly planted rose bush, acts as an excel-Jont storehouse, to be drawn upon by. the Rose a> soon as. its roots have grown long and strong. Bone flour Incidentally is one of the fow fertilizers which can be. brought into direct contact with the roots of seedlings oF transplanted shrubs without "damage. in tuck this practice is to be recommended.
Don't have your subterranean layer' of vitamins too thick, oF a favourable eruption" of toadstools fand_puft balls may appear on the surface. As a precaution, it ood thing to mix the manure with [the same bulk of dry sand or fine earth before putting into your trench, Cow manure being chiefly a nitrogenous fertilizer, like horse manure, beancake, hair, hooves and horns, feathers and waste silk, ete, ie should be. reinforced with a supply of Phosphoric Acid and Potash, otherwise the inclination of the plant will be towards, rank growth with "deficiency in flowera fruit. Which brings us to the preparation of soil with these two latter clements—the subject for next week's article—C. 'T, Hix Woo.
Digestion And Mental Health How can we best keep fit in spite of civilization and the temptations of a good table?
The question is prompted by the disclosures in the Registrar-General's report, published recently contrasting the health of those who have not the opportunity of overeating and under-exercising and of those who have, The penalties for the latter diabetes, liver troubles, appendicitis, and kindred ailments. How can for the body and the digest the face that anyone who storks hard sonal nataral" given gen Hnsereat to His ood, and ving general. and chip, amy habit. Seckcend' game of golf equally ood out:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.