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straw afterwards, then of course he would harvest 

 more wheat and less straw. But roots, stems, and 

 leaves grow before nature begins to form the seeds ; 

 and every one should know that the atoms in the 

 soil which are consumed in organizing the bodies 

 of cultivated plants, are in the main identical in 

 kind with those required to form their seeds. The 

 proportions, however, differ very considerably. 

 Thus, while 100 parts of the ash of wheat contain 

 an average of 45 parts of phosphoric acid, 100 parts 

 of the ash of wheat-straw contain an average of 

 only 5 parts. The difference is as 9 to 1. In 

 magnesia, the disparity is only a little less striking. 



In what are called the organic elements of wheat 

 (the combustible part), there are seven times more 

 nitrogen in 100 Ibs. than in a like weight of straw. 

 Hence, if the farmer converts straw into manure 

 or compost, with the view of ultimately transform- 

 ing it into wheat, it will take 7 Ibs. of straw to 

 yield nitrogen enough to form 1 Ib. of wheat. 



Few are aware of the annual loss in labour and 

 money by the feeding of plants on food not strictly 

 adapted to the peculiar wants of nature in organ- 

 izing the same. True, most farmers depend on 

 the natural fertility of the soil to nourish their 

 crops, with perhaps the aid of a small quantity of 

 stable and barn manure, distributed only partially. 

 As the natural resources of the land begin to fail, 

 the supply must be drawn from other quarters than 



