FERTILIZERS AND PLANT FOOD. 231 



potash, carried away in one thousand pounds of the substance 

 mentioned. 



Phosphoric 

 1000 lbs. of Nitrogen. acid. Potash. 



Oats 20.0 5.33 4.25 



Potatoes 3.4 1 .80 5.60 



Hay 12.8 4.25 19 30 



Oat Straw 4 1.80 9.70 



Beans 41.0 11 60 12 00 



Corn 16.0 5.50 3 30 



Milk 5 60 1.95 2.14 



Butter 1 . 00 . 75 50 



Fat Oxen 23.20 16.50 184 



Live Hogs 17 50 6.90 1.50 



Wool 73.00 1.00 40 00 



Live Sheep 18.60 11.39 1.60 



There are two ways of making up this deficiency, by the purchase 

 of feeding stuffs, thereby increasing the number of animals that 

 may be kept and thus adding to the manure, and by the purchase of 

 fertilizers, or fertilizing materials. Both methods are to be recom- 

 mended, but at the present time it is proposed to consider the latter 

 method, namel}', the use of fertilizing materials. 



So far as the use of prepared or commercial fertilizers is con- 

 cerned, I have only to say that my experience and that of farmers 

 in various parts of the State has gone far towards demonstrating 

 that more economical results may be obtained by the purchase of 

 crude fertilizing waste products and chemicals than by the use of 

 the many prepared goods that are to be bought. In a considerable 

 number of experiments it has been found that the increase of corn 

 and fodder for a dollar's worth of fertilizer applied, has been valued 

 at about $1.50 to $2.00 with prepared goods, while mixtures of 

 bone-black, muriate of potash and sulphate of ammonia, have 

 given from S2.00 to $3.00 per dollar invested. The results from 

 the use of all fertilizers are more striking on the hill farms and on 

 soils of low natural capacity than the}' are on the river lands which 

 produce larger natural crops. But as the experiments from which 

 the foregoing averages are drawn, have been upon both kinds of 

 soil, I think the}' represent the relative efficiency fairly. How is 

 this difference accounted for? I answer in two ways; 1st because 

 the crude chemicals contain the plant food in readil}' available form. 



