44 AVILSON & TOOMER FERTILIZER COMPANY 



rophyl. It is highly important, but used in such infini- 

 tesimal quantities Nature always has sufficient available 

 iron at hand. Van Slyke says : "No direct evidence has 

 yet been furnished to show that the application of iron 

 compounds has any beneficial effect on either color or 

 yield of fruit." 



Chlorine and Sodium- are not essentials to plant life, 

 but are invariably found in the plant. Beyond a certain 

 amount they are harmful, some crops being much* more 

 sensitive to their effects than others. These two elements 

 combined form our common salt. 



Manganese is not an essential and is of so little im- 

 portance many authorities do not mention its connec- 

 tion with plant life, though a trace of it is generally 

 found in all plants. In certain parts of the world (where 

 lava abounds) it has been studied because its presence 

 has so bad an effect on plants. It destroys the chlo- 

 ropliyl, disturbs the balance of other elements, especially 

 decreasing the assimilation of phosphoric acid, inter- 

 feres with formation of protoplasm, etc. This is fully 

 explained in Bulletin No. 26, Hawaii Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station: "The Function and Distribution of 

 Manganese in Plants and Soils." This bulletin can be 

 obtained from United States Dept. of Agriculture, Wash- 

 ington, D. C., but I can assure all that they need neither 

 endeavor to build up the manganese content of their 

 soil nor fear they will get too much manganese here in 

 Florida. 



Fads come and go, only our real needs endure. A 



