37 



quality. If too little be present the fruit will be soft 

 and is likely to break down shortly after, removal 

 from the trees. To increase the keeping and carrying 

 quality of citrus fruits a large amount of potash and a 

 small amount, of nitrogen should be used." 



STABLE MANURE. 



Stable Manure is one of the best of fertilizers to 

 to the soil, having a fairly high nitrate con- 

 tent as well as being valuable for adding humus to 

 the land. Four one-horse drays will hold about one 

 ton of this matter in a dry state, which, if spread 

 over an acre of land, will enrich the soil with humus 

 to about the same extent as an average cover crop, 

 although its nitrogen -enriching properties are con- 

 siderably less. A ton of stable manure to the acre 

 would be a very light dressing to give, so light, in 

 fact, that it would be a somewhat difficult matter 

 to spread it. over the land thinly enough to go round. 

 A dressing of four or five tons to the acre applied 

 every third year would give satisfactory results, 

 and keep up the humus content of the soil. 



The fertilising elements in a ton of rotted stable 

 manure have been variously computed to consist of 

 from 6 to 7 Ibs. phosphoric acid, 6 to 12 Ibs. of potash, 

 and from 8 to 15 Ibs. of nitrogen. This would be 

 equal to about 21 Ibs. of superphosphates, 12 to 24 Ibs. 

 of sulphate of potash, and from 75 Ibs. to 120 Ibs. of 

 blood manure. This is from manures in a partly 

 rotted state, hence containing considerable quantities 

 of water, but the quantities of these ingredients from 

 a perfectly dry sample would probably exceed this 

 amount to some extent. 



CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS. 



As in many instances it is not possible to obtain 

 sufficient quantities of organic matter to bring on 

 to the land to make up for all the nourishment 

 from the soil by continuous cropping, 



