140 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



available plant food lias had nothing to do with the pros- 

 perity of the farm cro})s, is to believe in an absurd proposi- 

 tion. The inijKjrtance of water supply is conceded, the 

 necessit}^ for the proper tillage and rotation of crops is not 

 disputed ; but it is an almost universal experience that even 

 when nature is kind with her downfall of rain, and when the 

 farmer exercises the very best skill which is available in culti- 

 vating his land, there is still a large influence to be attributed 

 to the supply of plant food which is introduced into the soil. 

 When some scientist, by irrigation and by the introduction 

 into the soil of organic matter containing no nitrogen, phos- 

 phoric acid or potash, and without the use of any purchased 

 plant food whatever, accomplishes continuous successful crop 

 production on some of the sandy plains of Massachusetts or 

 New York, then, and then only, will we conclude that the 

 fertilizer trade is a great mistake, and that farmers need only 

 be solicitous about water and texture. 



Please do not understand, however, that I come here to 

 defend the use of commercial fertilizers as now practised by 

 a large percentage of farmers. The way in which commer- 

 cial manures have been used has to a large extent always 

 been irrational, and, so far as I can see, is likely to be irra- 

 tional in some measure for a Ions' time to come. Permit 

 me to illustrate what I mean by citing the conditions M'hich 

 exist in the State of New York. There have been registered 

 for sale in that State for the year 1904 not far from GOO 

 brands of fertilizers. These mixtures of compounds of nitro- 

 gen, phosphoric acid and potash, bearing all kinds of names, 

 present a greatly varied composition, — indeed, they run 

 the Avhole ganmt of possibilities in their proportions of the 

 three valuable ingredients ; and I am unable to see, after 

 giving the matter much consideration, how these mixtures, 

 outside of a few cases of special fertilizers, are in any way 

 intelligently correlated to the needs of A^arious classes of 

 farmers, or of any particular class. 



Some years ago I had the honor to address this body on 

 the subject of connnercial plant food. At that time I very 

 emphatically urged upon your attention what seemed to me 

 to be an important fact, viz., that farmers were ver}^ gener- 



