90 FERTILIZERS. 



addresses of those who deal in fertilizing material not 

 often found by farmers in the market. The reports from 

 the various agricultural experimental stations contain the 

 addresses of almost numberless manufacturers and dealers 

 in superphosphates, potash, and ammonia. 



FORMULAS, AND HOW TO COMPOUND THEM. 



From what I have written, my farmer friends will see 

 that I do not present the formulas I have used as the best 

 guide for them to follow. Their soil, in its natural or arti- 

 ficial condition, may differ from my own ; and so these 

 formulas would require modification accordingly. In my 

 own practice, perhaps, all these may be improved ; while I 

 know the one for beans and pease can be : and I expect 

 to find, from some indications, I can dispense with more 

 or less of the potash on most of my land. 



It will be noticed that they are all what are known as 

 " complete " manures ; that is, each has all three of the 

 essential elements of plant-food. It is quite possible, that, 

 on land that has been manured for a series of years, espe- 

 cially if by stable manure, the potash probably, and the 

 phosphoric acid possibly, may be in excess of the needs 

 of crops, and therefore can for awhile be omitted from 

 formulas ; but in such case we need to be on the watch 

 to detect when the limit is reached, and govern ourselves 

 accordingly, bearing in mind that the quantity of crop is 

 .always measured by the element of which the soil has the 

 smallest quantity, and that a large quantity of one ele- 

 ment will not help the crop over a deficiency in either of 

 the others. This is the reason why, when, for instance, 

 fish is used liberally, a manure especially rich in nitrogen, 

 for a while there are enormous crops; but they soon grow 

 less, even under a heavier application. The trouble is, 

 the potash of the land has been exhausted. That this is the 



