2S BOARD OF AGRICULTUKE. [Pub. Doc. 



RAISING CROPS WITH COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS. 



BY S. I. PARKER, DALTON. 



There is no subject or matter that presents such unrelent- 

 ino; obstacles to the financial success of the New Eno;land 

 farmer as the matter of fertilizer. He may change the pro- 

 ductions of his farm, the keeping of one class of stock to 

 the exclusion of all others, or discard stock altogether ; still 

 for three hundred and sixty-five days of the year the subject 

 confronts him. True we have the best markets in the world, 

 and for the most part deal direct with the consumer, thereby 

 avoiding the services of the commission man ; but still we 

 cannot escape the terrible burden that rests upon us, adding 

 to the expense account to such an extent that sometimes we 

 are forced to admit in lialancing up our accounts of the dif- 

 ferent crops that the results have not proved a success finan- 

 cially. 



The question often arises, How can we procure a material 

 at a low cost, that is lasting, effectual, that will supply the 

 wants of every plant and bring it to perfect maturity, thus 

 leaving us a profit, without this continual warfare against 

 having the balance on the wrong; side of the ledger? 



We have, in a measure, to compete with the fertile soils 

 of the West ; but, as a panacea for some of our wails and 

 complaints, writers and lecturers tell us that those Western 

 soils are fast losing their fertility ; still, they continue to feed 

 their fast-increasing population and stock, and send a large 

 amount for consumption here and to ship to foreign coun- 

 tries. 



Statistics go to prove that, in spite of all that may be told 

 to the contrary, debarring droughts and wet seasons, with 

 which we all have to contend, they hold their own equally 

 well with the New Eng^land States. 



