ORCHARD, BERRY, AND YEGETABLE FERTILIZERS. 



BY DR. H. J. WHEELER. 



The Massachusetts fruit and vegetable grower who was 

 formerly able to secure an abundant supply of horse manure 

 from the cities and towns is finding to his sorrow that the 

 automobile and truck are so rapidly driving horses from our 

 cities that the supply of manure is not keeping pace with the 

 demand. Furthermore, the city ordinances in some cases re- 

 quire that the liquid manure shall be conducted into the 

 sewers; consequently the manure which the grower is able to 

 purchase often represents merely the "dry bones" from which 

 the real "spirit" has departed. 



To illustrate what I mean I will merely call your attention to 

 the average analyses of the solid and liquid portions of horse 

 manure. The solid manure contains about the following: — 



Per Cent. 



Nitrogen, . . . . . . . . . .55 



Phosphoric acid, . . . . . . . . . .30 



Potash, 40 



It must be borne in mind, however, that the nitrogen in the 

 solid manure is in a very unavailable form, probably not having 

 more than one-third to one-half the efficiency of the nitrogen 

 in the best organic and mineral ammoniates. The percentage 

 of phosphoric acid is not only low, but the phosphoric acid is 

 also slowly available. 



The average composition of liquid manure is about as 

 follows: — 



Per Cent. 



Nitrogen, . . . . . . . . . .1.35 



Phosphoric acid, . . . ... . . . . trace 



Potash, 1.25 



