242 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



orchard on the part of agricultural chemists. A surplus in 

 the quantity of manurial matter has no doubt quite frequently 

 provided for special wants ; and in this view is secured an 

 intelligent explanation of the results. There is no scarcity 

 of valuable testimony to the fact of exceptionally good suc- 

 cess in raising fruits and garden crops by the aid of a liberal 

 supply of compound manurial matters, such as barn-yard 

 manure, vegetable compost of various descriptions, wood 

 ashes and others of a similar varying and thus ill-defined 

 composition ; yet it is equally well understood that but little 

 satisfactory explanation can be given in many instances re- 

 garding the particular relation which exists between the con- 

 stituents or conditions of such manurial substances applied 

 and the quantity and quality of the crops raised by their aid. 



The world-wide reputation of barn-yard manure and wood 

 ashes dates back not merely one or two centuries ; their good 

 eflects have been known for thousands of years ; and we 

 have very good reason to believe that their general reputa- 

 tion rests on their complex character and their beneficial 

 influence over various physical and chemical qualities of the 

 soil. They contain in the majority of cases more or less of 

 all the essential soil constituents which our cultivated farm 

 and garden plants need, and they supply on that account, to 

 some extent at least, not only known but also unknown 

 deficiencies of plant food. They may thus ensure, other 

 circumstances being favorable, for a longer or shorter period 

 of time, reasonable success when applied in suitable quanti- 

 ties. 



Experience has shown that refuse manurial matter, like 

 barn-yard manure, is most efficient when used for the repro- 

 duction of those crops which contributed materially to its 

 manufacture ; a similar view may l)e maintained with refer- 

 ence to the manurial value of vegetable compost and ashes. 

 The exceptional occurrence of these favorable conditions 

 materially limits, in the light of our present information, 

 their claim of being the best of manures for farm and garden 

 under all circumstances, and needing no further supplement- 

 ing to meet any special deficiencies of plant food. The 

 whole aspect of the question how to manure efficiently has 

 gradually but decidedly changed within the last fifty years. 



