26 



These utterances from one who, for over ten }-ears, had 

 succeeded in raising profitable crops on very poor land, paying 

 crops against constantly decreasing prices of wheat, etc., 

 acquire a great significance. They are a word of warning to 

 his fellow-farmers, a patriotic appeal to keep, by an act of the 

 government, these valuable deposits for the exclusive use of 

 Germany, arid an attestation that the question of fertilization 

 turns almost exclusively round the proper, judicious application 

 of potash (kali) salts. Privy Counsellor Rimpau, who, on his 

 domain, Cunrau, owing to the liberal use of potash (kali) salts, 

 had attained equally satisfactory results, had already proposed 

 in 1881 a large export duty on all potash (kali) products. And 

 yet, in spite of these overwhelming proofs as to the unques- 

 tionable value of the potash (kali) salts, the United States 

 impose upon some of these salts a duty of twenty per cent, 

 because they are capable of being used also for industrial 

 purposes! Let American farmers and American agricultur- 

 ists ponder over this strange legislative wisdom! Germany, 

 certainly a strong, great country, well governed, highly cul- 

 tured, and bent upon progress, considers the propriety of 

 preventing the export of potash (kali) salts; and the United 

 States, pre-eminently an agricultural country, feeling already 

 the absolute necessity of artificial fertilization, and having no 

 potash (kali) salt deposits, imposes upon them an import duty of 

 twenty per cent. 



HOW DOES PROF, WAGNER SUM UP 

 THE SITUATION? 



But let us sum up in a few words what the latest scientific 

 results, thoroughly verified by many years experience of 

 experienced agriculturists, have to say on the question of 

 proper soil nutriment. They say: In rational economy with 

 nitrogen lies the key to the situation, and, therefore, to use 

 again Professor Wagner's words, the task is quite clear, viz. : 

 i. All leguminous plants such as peas, beans, lupins, clover, 

 seradella, lentils, esparsette should be rendered nitrogen- 

 hungry, so that they may draw to the utmost extent upon 

 the nitrogen supply of the atmosphere, and this is effected 

 by potash (kali) phosphate fertilization. 



