48 • BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the fertility of his fields, consists in the production of meat or but- 

 ter. 



Selling milk or cheese would economise the resources of the farm 

 to a less extent, -while the most wasteful course of all to pursue, is 

 the selling of crops as such. Any man's method of farming must 

 depend ver^' largely upon his locality and other circumstances. Any 

 method that results in the impoverishing of the soil is unwise and 

 often ruinous, even as a temporary expedient. Every pound of the 

 more valuable ingredients of plants that a farmer sends out of his 

 reach, results in the loss of so much capital. What man, who has 

 had the experience, does not know the cost of making a fertile out 

 of a run out field? 



We have considered the means by which our fields may be made 

 barren. Let us now turn our attention to the methods to be used 

 in retaining or increasing fertility. 



We increase the crop producing power of our fields in two 

 general ways : 



1 . By cultivation. 



2. By use of manures. 



The Theory and Practice of Cultivation. 



Some one who has read the foregoing veiy likely may sa}-,— 

 " Why, I don't see how that can all be true ! I have raised a good 

 crop from a worn out field without adding a thing to the land. 

 How can it be that the soil was deficient in certain ingredients that 

 you say are absolutel}' essential to the growth of plants?" M}^ 

 friend, you did something to your land? Yes, I summer fallowed 

 it, l)ut that did not add anything to the soil did it? Certainly not. 

 I will explain. Now I have not made the statement that when land 

 is " run out" there is no nitrogen, phosphoric acid or potash in it. 

 T have siin[)ly stated that in nearly all cases the reason why crops do 

 not fiouiish, is that they cannot get from the soil on which they are 

 growing enough of some one or more of those three ingredients. 

 The ingredients may be there but not available to plants. Such 

 indeed seems to be the fact. The following table shows the amounts 

 of the so-called valuable ingredients found in three samples of soil 

 taken from the College Farm :* 



* From report by ProfesBor W. 0. Atwater for 1877-8. 



