Sawdust as a Fertilizer. 



611. Sir, — About four miles from me is a large heap of sawdust from four to fifteen 

 years old, made chiefly from soft elm, basswood and hemlock logs. My garden of eight 

 acres is strong clay, but not stubborn. VVould it pay me to draw it that distance, and if 

 so, what fruits would it help most ? Has it any fertilizing properties ? 



R. Phippem, Parkhill. 



Sawdust is of little value as a fertilizer. It contains a little more nitrogen 

 than straw, and less potash and phosphoric acid. This is well shown in the 

 following comparative table from the Bussey Bulletin, which shows the per cent, 

 of these elements in sawdust, straw, twigs, etc., in a manner most interesting to 

 the horticulturist : 



Sawdust. Straw. Twigs with leaves. Best autumn leaves 



Per cent, of 



Potash, o.io 0.50 to 1. 00 0.88 o.io to 0.50 



Phosph. acid, 0.05 0.20 to 0.30 0.33 0.06 to 0.30 



Nitrogen. i.oo 0.33 1.28 to 2.84 0.75 



This analysis shows that sawdust has only one per cent, of nitrogen, only one- 

 tenth of one per cent, of potash, and only one-fifth of one per cent, of phosphoric 

 acid. 



This old rotten sawdust, however, would have absorbed some additional 

 fertility, and its mechanical action on the stiff land of our correspondent would 

 no doubt make it well worthy of his attention. If worked in, it would render 

 it looser in texture and more easily worked. Possibly the best use would be as 

 a mulch on the surface among his strawberry plants, and around his plum and 

 pear trees. It is excellent for this purpose, keeping the berries clean and the 

 soil moist. 



Marsh Mud. 



612. Sir, — Are there any benefits to be derived from applying marsh mud to fruit 

 trees, beyond the salt it contains, and if so, what ? 



E. McWatt, Truro, N. S. 



The action of the salt is perhaps the least benefit to be derived from the 

 marsh mud. It is rich in humus, which is valuable in several ways : first, in 

 supplying nitrogen, which has accumulated in it from the various plants which 

 have lived and died in it. The texture of heavy soils is made lighter and more 

 porous by it ; it retams moisture, and absorbs ammonia. Thus it is evidently 

 of considerable value to certain soils. It is not suitable to wet, boggy soils. 



Prof. Shutt has analyzed samples of marsh mud from various parts of the 

 Maritime Provinces, and finds they consist largely of ground-up rock matter, 

 clay and sand, shells and organic debris. They are inferior to swamp muck in 



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