Food for average composition of fertilizers used by farmers in 



Plants 



230 



the several countries : 



* The nitrogen in ready mixed fertilizers in the United States is frequently all 

 inactive, and sometimes never available. 



It will be seen that the average crop production of 

 staple crops is very much greater in Europe and Egypt 

 than in this country. In those countries enormous 

 quantities of Chilean Nitrate are used as a fertilizer, and 

 their average fertilizer contains two and a half per cent, 

 more of active Nitrogen, (Nitrate) than ours. This 

 corresponds to about three hundred pounds of Nitrate 

 of Soda in each ton, and this formula eliminates most of 

 the useless filler. 



The Home Mixing of Fertilizers 



A hundred years ago the farmers of America and 

 Europe had at their disposal but few materials for in- 

 creasing the fertility of the land. Barnyard manure 

 was then the great fertilizer, but only capable, as we 

 realize now, of restoring but incompletely the plant- 

 food carried away by the crops. Yet barnyard manure 

 was justly esteemed for its fertilizing value, and on 

 many a farm cattle were kept, not because they were 

 in themselves profitable, but because of the manure 

 that they produced. However, for all of the cattle kept 

 on the farms of Europe, the productive power of its 



