19G Report of the Chemist of the 



Available sources of plant-food. — Stable-manure, well rotted, has 

 been extensively used with good results. It should be used with 

 caution, however, as will be indicated later. It must be re- 

 membered also that the exclusive and continuous use of rich 

 stable-manure may ultimately result in a one-sided nitrogenous 

 fertilization and a gradual exhaustion of phosphoric acid and 

 potash from the soil. Nitrogen can be supplied by stable-manure, 

 nitrate of soda, sulphate of ammonia, fish-scrap, cottonseed meal, 

 bone meal, or slaughter-house refuse, such as dried blood and 

 tankage. Phosphoric acid can be furnished in the form of acid 

 phosphate, bone meal, dissolved bone, etc. Potash can be sup- 

 plied in any of the forms common in commerce and also by means 

 of the molasses residue of beet-sugar factories. When lime is 

 known to be needed, it can be supplied in the form of quicklime, 

 land-plaster, ground shells, etc. Magnesia, when needed, can be 

 furnished by the press-cake of sugar factories or in the form of 

 Grerman double sulphate of potash and magnesia. 



Mixtures of plant-food. — The following mixtures of high-grade 

 materials are offered as suggestions or illustrations of what could 

 be used, the amounts given being for one acre of land: 



MiXTUBE No. 1. MlXTtJRE NO. 2. 



Nitrate of soda 60 pounds. Bone meal 500 pounds. 



Dried blood 200 pounds. Sulphate of ammonia. .100 pounds. 



Fish-scrap 150 pounds. Sulphate or muriate of 



Acid phosphate 400 pounds. potash 180 pounds. 



Sulphate or muriate of Acid phosphate 100 pounds. 



potash 180 pounds. 



Mixture No. 3. 



Stable manure, well-rotted, 8,000 pounds or more applied to the crop 

 preceding the beets, supplemented by bone meal, 500 pounds (or acid 

 phosphate, 300 pounds), and sulphate or muriate of potash, 180 pounds. 



The phosphoric acid and potash can be applied to the soil at 

 the time of putting in the beet crop. 



The cost of these mixtures will probably average from |10 

 to |15 for 1,000 pounds. In purchasing plant-food materials 

 farmers must be governed by the market conditions prevailing 

 at the time of purchase and by other economical considerations. 



