COMMERCIAL AND SPECIAL EERTILIZERS. 103 



horses, if proper absorbents are used, ^5.87 worth of nitro- 

 gen, potash, and phosphoric acid can be obtained every 

 twenty-four hours, estimating these vitally important ele- 

 ments of plant-food at their wholesale valuation. In addi- 

 tion, there are the other constituents of the yard manure 

 which, if not so valuable, are still very useful. To perm.it 

 the waste of any fertilizer that can be saved or made upon 

 our places, and then buy the same thing with the chance of 

 being cheated, is thus shown to be wretched economy. 

 Commercial fertilizers can never supersede the compost 

 heap, into which should go everything which will enable 

 us to place m the soil organic matter and the other ele- 

 ments that were given in the analysis ; and if all the sewage 

 and waste of the dwelling and the products of the stable, 

 stys and poultry-house were well composted with muck, sod, 

 leaves, or even common earth, and used liberally, magnifi- 

 cent and continued crops of strawberries could be raised 

 from nearly all soils. 



In many instances, however, home-made composts are 

 wholly inadequate to supply the need, and stabie manures 

 are too costly or not to be obtained. The fruit grower 

 should then go to those manufacturers of fertilizers who 

 have the best reputation, and who give the best guarantees 

 against deception. There are perfectly honest dealers, and 

 it is by far the cheapest in the end to pay them their price 

 for a genuine article. If such concentrated agents are 

 used in connection with a green crop like clover, land can 

 be made and kept productive continuously. In the use of 

 commercial fertilizers, there should be a constant and in- 

 telligent effort to keep up a supply of all the essential ingre- 

 dients. Wood-ashes is a specific for strawberries. I have 

 never found any one thing so good, and yet it is substan- 

 tially but one thing, potash, and I should remember that 



