EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTILIZERS. 77 



such experiments in different localities suggests the inquiry 

 whether formulas for crops, which in the past have been so 

 popular, should not more properly be designed for different 

 soils rather than for different crops, as there appears to be a 

 much greater variation in the constituents of plant food avail- 

 able in different soils than there is in the different amount* 

 of these several constituents needed by different crops. 

 Analysis of different brands of special fertilizers for the same 

 crops, as well as different samples of the same name, show 

 greater variation from the formula they profess to be made 

 by than the formulas for different crops call for. Numerous 

 instances are on record where these special manures have 

 been applied, either through mistake or intentionally, to dif- 

 ferent crops from which they were intended with equally 

 good results. 



When I first commenced these experiments I was a be- 

 liever in formulas for different crops, to be modified by the 

 needs of the soil on which they were to be used, and for 

 several years I compounded different materials for the differ- 

 ent crops, leaving out, in part, such constituents as appeared 

 to be most abundant in the soil, as indicated by these experi- 

 ments, intending to grow the same crop continuously on the 

 same land ; but as I got more light on the subject my formu- 

 las for different crops approached more nearly to each other, 

 until I finally abandoned all sufch attempts and now make one 

 mixture for all crops, only using larger quantities for some 

 crops than others, and applying the chemicals alone to such 

 crops as they seem best adapted to, and stable manure to 

 such as I think it will most benefit, endeavoring to fill the 

 ^oil with all needed materials, and depend on a judicious 

 rotation to meet the varying requirements of different crops. 



I am adopting a rotation, consisting of cucumbers, for 

 pickles, after a crop of early cut hay on run-out mowing, 

 with a light dressinsf of stable manure, and about eisfht hun- 

 dred pounds mixed mineral fertilizer, consisting of one part 

 muriate of potash and two parts dissolved bone-black, with 

 chemicals and hen manure mixed, applied in the hill. After 

 the cucumbers are off, winter rye is sown and cut green the 

 following spring for hay, in season to be followed with corn, 

 either for fodder or to ripen. To the corn I apply only 



