The practice of adding to the manurial refuse materials of the farm 

 as stable manure, vegetable compost, etc., such single commercial manu- 

 rial substances as will enrich them in the direction desirable for any 

 particxdar ci'oj) to be raised, does not yet receive that degree of general 

 attention, tvhich it deserves. An addition of potash in the form of 

 muriate or sulphate of potash, or of phosphoric acid in the form of 

 fine ground South Carolina or Florida soft phosphate, etc., will in 

 many instances not only improve their general fitness as complete 

 manure, — but quite frequently permit a material reduction in the 

 amount of barnyard manure ordinarily considered sufficient, to secure 

 satisfactory results. 



BARNYARD MANURE. 



(Average composition of seventy-five samples.) 

 Moisture, 67.00 per cent or 1340.0 pounds per ton 



Nitrogen, .52 '^ " 10.4 " " 



Potassium oxide, .56 " " 11.2 " " 



Phosphoric acid, .39 " " 7.8 " " 



The average barnyard manure contains, it will be noticed from 

 the above statement, a larger percentage of nitrogen, as compared 

 with its potash and phosphoric acid than is generally considered 

 economical. An addition of from thirty to forty pounds of muriate 

 of potash and of one hundred pounds of fine ground natural phos- 

 phates (soft Florida or South Carolina floats) per ton of barnyard 

 manure would greatly increase its value as an efficient and econom- 

 ical general fertilizer. 



On valuation. — The market value of the higher grades of agri- 

 cultural chemicals and compound fertilizers depends in the majority 

 of cases on tlifi amount and the particular form of three essential 

 articles of plant food which they contain, i. e., nitrogen, potash and 

 phosphoric acid. Supply and demand control the temporary market 

 prices not less in the fertilizer trade than in other lines of commer- 

 •cial business. 



The approximate market value of a fertilizer, simple or compound 

 is obtained, by multiplying the pounds contained in a ton of two 

 thousand pounds by the trade value per pound of each of the three 

 above stated essential constituents of plant food present. 



The same course is adopted with reference to the different forms 

 of each, — wherever different prices are recognized in the trade. 



