AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 371 



toes, turnips, beets, hops, and tobacco) have been repeated- 

 ly grown ; and where guanos, phosphates, bone, etc., which 

 supply nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and lime, but little or no 

 potash, do not bring as large returns as formerly. 



7. In order to secure uniform diffusion through the soil, 

 the potash salts should be applied as long as possible before 

 the crop is sown. It is well to mix with earth, or to com- 

 post, before applying, especially if used shortly before sow- 

 ing the seed, otherwise they may injure the crops. And, 

 in general, potash salts are well adapted for composting 

 with muck, earth, stable -manure, phosphates, fish, and the 

 like. 



8. The best results are generally obtained by using potash 

 salts not alone, but with other fertilizers, as superphosphates, 

 guanos, and fish. Mixtures of these with potash salt form 

 "complete" fertilizers. The proper use of potash salts is as 

 adjuncts to other fertilizers. 



9. From 200 pounds to 400 or 500 pounds per acre of the 

 higher and 300 to 600 pounds of the lower grades are ap- 

 propriate quantities. 



10. The question of the need of potash in a given soil can 

 be best decided by actual trial. It will be generally advis- 

 able to test the question .by experiments on a small scale 

 before making large purchases. 



The Need of Better Information about Fertilizers 



Among our farmers is a vital one. While they are buying 

 medium and inferior articles at prices which bring the cost 

 of the valuable ingredients up to from 50 to 200 per cent, 

 above what they need pay for better ones, foreigners are 

 coming to this country and buying up the best materials, 

 and carrying them oft* to be used by European farmers who 

 have learned their value. Fish -manures and slaughter- 

 house refuse, in which nitrogen can be had at 10 to 20 cents 

 per pound, and phosphoric acid at from 4 to 8 cents per 

 pound, are being exported by the thousand tons ; while our 

 farmers are paying from 20 to 50 cents per pound for nitro- 

 gen, and equally high prices for phosphoric acid in the infe- 

 rior articles that we keep at home. And when we import 

 potash salts we take the poorest, and leave our transatlantic 

 friends the best. 



