MANURES 



79 



can be formed by chemical analysis of Mother Earth 

 which receives all things, and sometimes even this 

 estimate may be fallacious. 



Nevertheless, the general value of all soils can be 

 fairly estimated from the practical test of past results ; 

 and it is pretty well known what constituents are 

 generally present or absent in the average soils of clay, 

 loam, peat, chalk, gravel or sand. Besides, if all the 

 constituents of a plant are chemically added to the soil 

 in the right proportion, all is there which is needed ; for 

 an excess of one constituent will be inert and valueless 

 unless all the others are present in the same propor- 

 tion. 



In The Bosarians Year-Book for 1889, edited by Rev. 

 H. H. D'Ombrain, Secretary to the National Rose 

 Society, there was a very interesting and valuable paper 

 on artificial manure for Roses, by Mr. E. Tonks, B.C.L. 

 The analysis of the ashes of the Rose are there given in 

 a table from Wolffs AscJien Analysen, Berlin, 1871, 

 1880, as follows : — 



On reasoning from this to get a proper chemical manure 

 for Roses, the first thing to remember is that there is 

 one most important item not found in ash analysis, 



