122 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in poor condition. In other words commercial fertilizers will not 

 recompense for lack of i)roper physical soil conditions. The sooner we 

 learn to recognize these facts the sooner will we reach the point of maxi- 

 mum ])rodnction. The same thing is true with our live stock. If we 

 want to fatten live stock and do it economically we know that we must 

 have the surroundings the best that it is possible to have, that is, stable 

 conditions as good as possible so that the cattle will be comfortable and 

 in shape to make the best use of the food which we put into their 

 mangers. It is just the same with the plant. We must have the soil 

 in condition so that the roots can grow readily and freely into the soil 

 and can make the best use of the plant feed which is in the soil which 

 is put there artificially. The sooner we learn and recognize this fact 

 the quicker will we be getting up to maximum production. 



Now, in regard to the question of commercial fertilizer. There are 

 two ways in which we can buy commercial fertilizer. We can buy the 

 fertilizer Avhich the manufacturer compounds and puts up for us, or we 

 can buy the raw materials and mix them up ourselves to satisfy our own 

 soil conditions and our own fancy. The great trouble with buying the 

 ready-mixed fertilizers is the fact that we do not know what we are 

 getting. We take whatever the manufacturer wants to give us. As to 

 tlie phosphoric acid in commercial fertilizers I will say that the only 

 sources are bone meal, tankage and raw rock phosphate. Ilowever, be- 

 fore these materials are mixed up into fertilizer they have to be acidu- 

 lated with sulphuric acid in order to render the phosphoric acid avail- 

 able. It will take several years in the case of the raw rock phosphate 

 before it will become available. There are certain conditions under 

 which it may be put into the soil so that it will be brought to a state of 

 availability more quickly but I do not care to discuss that phase of the 

 question at this time. So I say the phosphoric acid that is put in the 

 fertilizers is available phosphoric acid and just as good as can be 

 bought in any other way. 



The potash comes from the potash mines of Germany. It is soluble 

 in water and we need give it no further consideration, but when we 

 come to consider the nitrogen then we are up against a different prob- 

 lem. There are many sources to which the manufacturer goes for nitro- 

 gen, and they vary greatly in their availability. Because of this fact 

 and because the nitrogen costs from sixteen to twenty cents a pound, 

 is the reason why we should give careful consideration to the buying of 

 conmiercial fertilizers. 



The principal sources of nitrogen for fertilizers are the following: 



Nitrate of Soda 15.5% Garbage Tankage 3.00% 



Sulphate of Ammonia 19.0% Dried Peat 2.50% 



Dried Blood 14.0% Leather 9.00% 



Tankage 10.0% Mora Meal 3.69%, 

 Bone Meal 2.50% 

 Fish Offal 7.90%, 



The materials in the left hand column are all high grade, that is they 

 have a high nitrogen availability Avhile the materials in the right hand 

 column are all low grade. 



When these materials are sold separately they must stand or fall 

 upon their own merits and the low grade materials invariably fall. To 



