30 



3d. Woody fibre, which is the part of plants that sustain 

 them in their erect posture. This is also rich in carbon, but is 

 not readily assimilated so as to serve for animal food. Lhe 

 tender shoots, however, of young trees are consumed by ani- 

 mals, of this material also paper is made, and in the laboratory 

 of the chemist it can be turned into starch or sugar. 



Fourth and last portion is moisture, which constitutes the 

 largest part by weight of nearly all plants and animals. 



CHAPTER V. 



COMPONENTS OF FERTILIZERS AND WHERE FOUND. 



From the preceding tables it will be seen how much min- 

 eral matter is carried away by crops, and it can readily be 

 understood that this deficiency cannot possibly be restored to 

 the soil by atmospheric action. Therefore- it becomes necessary 

 that those elements which are in least quantity should be arti- 

 ficially returned. 



These substances are phosphoric acid, potash, ammonia, and 

 lime. 



All experience has demonstrated that stable manure is about 

 the best thing to restore worn out lands, and if enough of it 

 could be gotten there could be no use for the commercial fer- 

 tilizers of the market. But it cannot be obtained, and there- 

 fore the farmer should try to save all he has and to make it go 

 as far as possible by the use of adjuncts. 



The reason why this manure is so useful is because it con- 

 tains all the elements of plant food in an easily soluble condi- 

 tion. Solubility is nothing but minute division and the mineral 

 refuse of the animal having passed through the system, has 

 been acted upon by all the acids of the digestive organs, and is 

 most minutely divided. 



But even stable manure can be helped for those plants which 

 require some particular element, in large quantity, by adding 

 that element to it in the compost pile. Thus all cereals requir- 

 ing large quantities of phosphoric acid and potash would be 

 increased in yield by the addition of a high grade superphos- 

 phate, yielding a large amount of phosphoric acid, as the Etiwan 

 Dissolved Bone, or better, by the Etiwan Crop Food, containing 

 both phosphoric acid and potash in large quantities. 



We have said the principal elements to be restored to land 

 are phosphoric acid, phosphate ammonia, and lime. Let us 

 first examine the sources from which the farmer can obtain 

 them on his own farm. 



His home resources of supply of phosphoric acid are very 

 small, as will be seen from the accompanying tables. 



