The Question Box. 281 



What is the reason that land plaster does not produce as good effect 

 on our land as it did forty or fifty years ago? 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — Land plaster does not contain any plant 

 food direct. It is largely sulphate of lime — its office being to 

 develop moisture. Tlie probabilities are that the soil being defic- 

 ient in humus, it cannot develop moisture so that the soil can 

 hold it. Years ago, when we saw an effect on soil, there was 

 plenty of vegetable matter in it. Now, there is but little, hence 

 it does not have the effect it did then. 



How would you raise a selling crop from a field well supplied with 

 plant food year after year without manure or fertilizer? 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — If the field is well supplied with fertility 

 there will be no need of adding any more. I know of no better 

 way than to supply humus. There must be a deficiency of that, 

 else there would be moisture enough without cultivation to grow 

 a crop, provided the fertility in the soil were of the right distri- 

 bution. If we have such fertility we must use the clovers or 

 other green crops to supply vegetable matter. There is no such 

 thing as an exhausted soil. Those which have been so catalogued 

 have been found to contain an abundance of fertility. All that 

 was needed was proper treatment. By adding a little potash and 

 South-Carolina rock, and, perhaps, some nitrate of soda, to give 

 the plant a start, with the humus and cultivation, such a soil 

 may be brought up and good crops grown yearly. 



What becomes of funds received from tax? 



Prof. Jordan. — The revenue from these license fees is to be used 

 in paying the expenses of inspection, including the salaries of 

 chemists, the salary and traveling expenses of our traveling 

 agents, the cost of gas and chemicals and the expense of i>rint- 

 ing the necessary bulletins. 



What reason is there for taxing commercial fertilizers? 



Prof. Jordan. — We adopt the license fee system in this State 

 because it seems to be the only practicable way of adjusting the 

 amounts of money available to the extent of inspection work to 

 be done. We have simply put ourselves in line with all other 

 States, with possibly one exception. Experience seems to indi- 

 cate that this is the most satisfactory way of accomplishing the 

 results. It is a large question and I will not argue it fully. 



