of fertilizer there is from 70 to 84 per cent, of something Food for 



else. This great difference is not due to dishonesty on the ants 



part of manufacturers or dealers in agricultural chemicals. 

 The essential elements are always combined with other sub- 

 stances which often are of no use whatever to growing crops. 

 Thus, in 100 pounds of Nitrate of Soda we have only 15.75 

 pounds of Nitrogen and 84.25 pounds of sodium, oxygen, 

 and moisture, and so it is with all other constituents of fer- 

 tilizers the greater part of the weight is made up of moist- 

 ure, dirt, etc. In many States of the Union there is much 

 greater protection against fraud in buying commercial fer- 

 tilizers than in the purchase of food or clothing. 



But commercial fertilizers or raw materials, for mixing, 

 should never be bought except upon guaranteed analyses, and 

 with strict regard to soil requirements and the character of 

 the crop to be fed. 



In the above formula we might slightly change the per- 

 centages of fertilizing constituents, and probably get a better 

 crop effect by the change. We might drop out the muriate 

 of potash and reduce the sulphate of potash to 50 pounds, 

 and then substitute 821^ pounds of unleached wood ashes 

 for the sulphate and muriate of potash left out. In the wood 

 ashes there will be 45.21 pounds of potash and 15.20 pounds 

 of phosphoric acid. Our formula would then stand: 



