MANURES. 119 



tor, by supplying him with the best and surest means 

 of restoring its fertility. Yet this supply is not alone 

 sufficient for the requirements of the soil, and the 

 farmer finds it necessary to have recourse to other 

 sources, which are fortunately neither few nor inac- 

 cessible. 



After exhausting the contents of the cattle-yard 

 and the compost heap, or, what is perhaps still better, 

 in connection with these, he may employ, and often 

 with great advantage, some of the various fertilizers 

 in the market. In doing so, however, great caution 

 is needed to avoid the impositions continually prac- 

 tised by the venders of worthless ad alterations. There 

 are several of the commercial manures composed of 

 such articles as nearly all farmers either have or can 

 readily and cheaply procure ; and many have adopted 

 the habit of preparing these on their own premises. 

 There is no good reason why this practice should not 

 be universal. The man who uses fertilizers prepared 

 by himself is always sure of their quality, and will 

 generally find them less expensive. 



The following enumeration embraces most of the 

 fertilizing materials in general use for the corn crop 

 as well as some that are not usually employed, though 

 they might be, in many cases, with advantage : 



1. The manure of the FARM-YARD, comprising the 

 excrement, solid and liquid, of horses, cattle, and 

 other stock, and also the decomposed vegetable mat- 

 ter combined with them. The latter includes straw, 

 weeds, leaf-mould, swamp-muck, and every variety 

 of vegetable substance, which, if well managed, will 



