40 How to Make the Garden Pay. 



made productive in the cheapest and quickest way by applications 

 of phosphoric acid and potash, in the form of a plain superphos- 

 phate, or bone meal, in combination with wood ashes. The 

 alkaline nature of the latter neutralizes injurious acids, and helps 

 to make nitrogen available. Unleached wood ashes can be 

 applied at the rate of 100 bushels and more per acre with perfect 

 safety, and leached ashes in much larger quantities. As means 

 of protecting crops against the ill effects of a prolonged drought, 

 however, wood ashes have no mean value on any soil. I will 

 refer to this subject in a future chapter. 



The question is often referred to me : " Will it pay a renter to 

 apply manures on land that he will or may have to vacate the next 

 season ? " This can have but one answer. It stands between 

 the use of manure and the unsatisfactory outcome of the business. 

 No manure no paying crop. But in case of pending removal, it 

 will always be safest to use the quick-acting commercial fertilizers, 

 and nitrate of soda in preference to the slower and more lasting 

 stable manure. The nitrate of soda is all and entirely utilized for 

 the next crop, or leached out of the soil, and of the commercial 

 fertilizer only an inconsiderable part will be left to increase the 

 successor's crops, if the soil is as thoroughly cropped all 

 through the season as it should be. Stable manure is apt to 

 donate only a part of its plant-foods for the production of the 

 same year's crops, and much of the expensive material would 

 probably be left for the benefit of the renter's successor. 



