in this way, during the year, and particularly during the pre- 

 paration of soil and growth of crop. The growing of legu- 

 minous crops in rotation is another inexpensive way in which 

 land is enriched. 



809. Notwithstanding the device of growing leguminous 

 crops every now and again, continuous cropping without 

 manure does result in the gradual deterioration of the soil. 

 In some countries every crop is grown by the application of 

 a manure. In these, the yield of crops instead of diminishing, 

 in course of time, gradually increases. The application of 

 special manures, time after time, though resulting in imme- 

 diate beneficial effect, tends to impoverish the land in course 

 of time. General manures being less soluble and supplying 

 all the requisite nourishment are, therefore, preferable. 



810. Manures are divided into 4 classes : 



(i) Phosphatic manures e.g. bone meal, bone ashes, dissol- 

 ved bones, superphosphate of lime, apatite &c. This class 

 of manures possesses the following special properties : 



(a) They tend to make the fruits and roots sweeter. 



(b) They tend to increase the flowering and fruiting 

 tendencies of plants and also increase the absolute yield of 

 seed and roots. 



(c) They make ripening of crops to take place earlier. 

 Bone dust can be had of Messrs. Mackillican & Co. of 7 Church 

 Lane, Calcutta for 2 rupees a maund, and powdered apatite from 

 Messrs. Ewing & Co. of Calcutta for Rs. 3 a maund. Oil-cakes 

 and ashes also contain large proportions of phosphates, 

 Cowdung and horsedung ashes are specially rich in phosphates. 

 The indirect method of manuring by feeding cattle liberally 

 with oil-cake and utilising their excrements as manure is better 

 than applying oil-cake direct as manure to the land. Once in 

 5 or 6 years every plot of land should be left fallow, and on 

 it cattle should be tethered or hurdled in and given oil-cake to 

 eat so that their excrements solid and liquid may enrich the 

 soil. Liquid manure is better than solid manure, 



