Manures in General 



These additional costs are spread in the first 

 case over 15 units, and in the second, over 30. 

 The difference is sometimes so great that it is often 

 even better to take muriate of potash (KCl) in 

 preference to kainite, though the unit of Potash costs 

 decidedly more in the former than in the latter, 

 because of the very important additional expenses ; 

 but these in the kainite are based on 12 to 13 units, 

 while in the KCl on 50 units of Potash [K20]- 



The comparative richness of the manure to be 

 employed must therefore always be considered, and 

 the price of the unit ought to be calculated when 

 distributed on the fields. In this way all the costs 

 are included. 



Among manures some are of rapid action, others 

 slow. Preference ought to be given, as a rule, to 

 the rapid, because they will repay outlay more 

 quickly. Very often manure merchants advance 

 arguments in favour of those of their wares of 

 which the action will still be felt in the following 

 year, or even for many succeeding years. But 

 supposing — which is not always the case — that all 

 the fertilising elements will be assimilated after a 

 greater or less number of years, the argument is 

 not worth anything. Each particle of manure 

 can only be absorbed once by the plants, and it 

 can only pay when it is absorbed. Therefore the 

 more quickly it is absorbed the more quickly will it 

 pay. To equalise the price of the unit it is a mis- 

 take to buy now a manure which will not repay 

 the outlay in three years or more. Generally it is 

 preferable to use manures of such action that they 

 will reimburse their cost the same year that they 



18 



