FERTILIZERS. 43 



HOW MUCH FISH- WASTE SHOULD BE USED TO THE ACRE ? 



To determine this, we must consider two points. First, 

 what proportion of it will make digestible plant-food the 

 first season? and secondly, what and how much of the 

 phosphoric acid and ammonia found in them do the crops 

 we propose to raise require ? I think we can assume, as a 

 general truth, that about all the ammonia becomes plant- 

 food the same season it is applied, while not much over 

 one-half of the phosphoric acid can be safely counted on. 

 If we use fish-waste on the same land the second year, 

 we may assume that all the phosphoric acid is available ; 

 for by that" time the half left over from last season will 

 have decomposed. 



However, as this form of plant-food affords phosphoric 

 acid and nitrogen in a very cheap form, and as there is 

 usually some loss from the amount assigned to each acre, 

 by the depredation from dogs, and more especially from 

 crows, before it is ploughed or harrowed under, I would 

 advise, what I myself practise, rather a liberal application 

 of the fertilizer, whether it be in the form of chum or of 

 fish-skins. On good soil a fine crop of cabbage may be 

 raised, by first ploughing under a hundred bushels of un- 

 leached ashes to the acre, and, after having first run fur- 

 rows at the distance apart decided on for the rows of 

 cabbage, scattering over the surface two tons of fish-chum 

 that has been made fine and mixed with soil. Harrow the 

 land, when naturally the furrows will get an extra share of 

 the fish, which will be a cheap way of manuring in the 

 hill. The seed either may be drilled in, or planted as 

 usual. 



