5 o AGRICULTURE. [CH, 



solubility, and give the manufacturer free scope for 

 the exercise of his judgment. As a rule, very great 

 excellence has been attained by the careful researches 

 carried out by the manufacturers, and by the purchase 

 of the best materials at the lowest prices. Their 

 opportunities for watching the results of their several 

 trial manures are unusually good, and it is to their 

 interest to observe these results, and carefully note 

 instances of success and failure. It is just as they 

 succeed in manufacturing a successful manure, that 

 their public reputation will stand or fall on the 

 market. It must be admitted that they have done 

 much ; but, on the other hand, if farmers had a fuller 

 knowledge of what they were using, they also would 

 be observers, and would soon point out which of the 

 several constituents could be lessened, and which 

 could be advantageously increased, so as to suit their 

 own farms, or certain recognized portions thereof. 

 The manufacturer, to secure a general success, has to 

 provide for all the requirements likely to arise, and 

 thus provision is unavoidably made for many require- 

 ments which do not arise. The farmer has thus to 

 pay for some unnecessary supplies, whereas, just in 

 proportion as he knows what he is using, and watches 

 the influence of variations made by way of experi- 

 ment, so he ultimately gets to know what his farm 

 requires, and thereby he avoids purchasing that which 

 is not necessary. 



It is by carrying out experimental trials in 

 different neighbourhoods that this information will 

 be best obtained, and in this way variations in soil 

 and climate may be most judiciously and economi- 

 cally dealt with. 



