they contain in insoluble and unavailable form, so that it Food for 

 requires a considerable time for the plants to get it. Another s 

 fault is that they do not contain nearly enough Nitrogen. 2I 

 Stable manure contains on the average in one ton, 10 

 pounds Nitrogen, 10 pounds potash, and only 5 pounds 

 phosphoric acid, while the average "complete" fertilizer 

 contains more than twice as much phosphoric acid as Nitro- 

 gen, a most unnatural and unprofitable ration. A ratio of 

 2 Nitrogen, 4 potash, and 10 of phosphoric acid, is frequent 

 in many of the so-called "complete fertilizers," which are 

 really incomplete and unbalanced as well. A fertilizer for 

 quick-growing vegetables should contain as much Nitro- 

 gen as phosphoric acid, and at least half this Nitrogen 

 should be in the form of Nitrate, which is the only 

 immediately available plant food. 



Some interesting and valuable experi- rnrnnarflt : vp 



i i /~ i~t \_>UlllpdI allVC 



ments were made at the Connecticut Ex- A vailabilitv of 

 periment Station, to ascertain how much rjj trOffen j n 



of the Nitrogen contained in such materials \r nt .: n . c~, 



. . , , , & , . ,, . Various horms. 



as dried blood, tankage, dry fish, and cot- 

 ton-seed meal, is available to plants. 



The experiments were made with corn, and it was found 

 that when the same quantity of Nitrogen was applied in the 

 various forms the crop increased over that where no Nitrogen 

 was applied, as shown in the following table: 



Increase of Crop from Same Quantity of Nitrogen 



from Different Sources. 



Relative 

 Sources of Nitrogen. Crop Increase. 



Nitrate of Soda 100 



Dried Blood 73 



Cotton-seed Meal 7 2 



Dry Fish 7 



Tankage 62 



Linseed Meal 7& 



The above table shows some interesting facts. It is 

 evident that only about three-fourths as much of the Nitro- 

 gen in dried blood or cotton-seed meal as in Nitrate of Soda 

 is available the first season. The Nitrogen in tankage is even 

 less available, only a little over half being used by the crop. 



These experiments were made with corn, which grows 



