There are two ways of making up this deficiency: by the 

 purchase of feeding stuffs, thereby increasing the number of 

 animals that may be kept and thus adding to the manure, and 

 by the purchase of fertilizers, or fertilizing materials. Both 

 methods are to be recommended, but this bulletin has for its 

 object the consideration of the latter method, namely, the use 

 K>i fertilizing viaterials. 



So far as the use of prepared or Commercial fertilizers is 

 concerned, I have only to say that my experience and that of 

 farmers in various parts of the state has gone far towards dem- 

 onstrating that more economical results may be obtained by the 

 purchase of crude fertilizing, waste producis and chemicals than 

 by the use of the many prepared goods that are to be bought. 

 In a considerable number of experiments it has been found 

 that the increase of corn and fodder for a dollars worth of fer- 

 tilizer applied, has been valued at about $1.50 to $2.00 with 

 prepared goods, while mixtures of Bone-black, Muriate of Potash 

 and Sulphate of Ammonia, have given from $2.00 to $3.00 per 

 dollar invested. The results from the use of all fertilizers are 

 more striking, on the hill farms and on soils of low ni'iiml ca- 

 pacity than they are on the river lands which produce larger 

 natural crops. But as the experiments from which the forego- 

 ing averages are drawn, have been upon both kinds of soil, I 

 think they represent the relative efficiency farely. How is this 

 difference accounted for .-* I answer in two ways : ist. bscause 

 the crude chemicals contain the plant food in readily available 

 form. Nitrogen in either Sulphate of Ammonia or Nitrate of 

 Soda is soluble, and therefore more likely to be readily taken 

 up by the growing crops. But in prepared fertilizers part, and 

 often a Inrge part of the nitrogen is in organic matter and may 

 not be avaihible. The potash of the easily soluble Muriate is 

 ready for the plant at once. T'.iere seems to be some reason 

 for believing that the phosphoric acid of bone-black is more ef- 

 fective than that in South Carolina Rock ; at least we are sure 



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