6 FERTILISERS AS AN AID TO 



The great value of farm-yard manure consists 

 in its improvement of the texture or tilth of soils 

 and in promoting their water-holding 

 power, which enables crops to with- 

 stand drought much longer. In 

 ordinary mixed farming it is best used on the 

 roots, especially potatoes and mangels, in con- 

 junction with suitable fertilisers, any that is left 

 over being used on the young seeds in preference, 

 or as a dressing every three or four years of the 

 meadows, particularly those on light soil. If 

 used more often it tends to encourage the 

 coarser and less nutritious grasses. 



Farm-yard manure should always form the 

 basis of successful farm practice because it 

 supplies humus or organic matter which is 

 usually needed, but heavy dressings alone are 

 not economical, though they may be all very 

 well if manuring for a future generation. They 

 neither yield such a large quantity nor as good 

 quality of produce as when a medium dressing 

 of farm-yard manure is supplemented with 

 suitable fertilisers. 



Nitrogen 



This element stimulates growth, promoting 



the formation of leaves and stems. 



Effects of If an excess is present in the soil, 



on^pumt ^ at * s wnen not balanced by suffi- 



Browth. cient phosphates and potash, it 



causes a late growth, thus retarding 



maturity and ripening, besides which it renders 



