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We are taught by tlie careful, analytical study of chem- 

 istry, that, of the fourteen or more constituents of which 

 our farm crops are composed, nature provides liberally 

 for all but three, viz.: — phosphoric acid, potash and nitro- 

 gen ; which last, later investigation appears to leave some- 

 what in doubt, as to its natural sources and application as 

 pliant food. But there seems to be no doubt among scien- 

 tists, that continual cropping of our farms, appropriates 

 potash and phosphoric acid, and possibly nitrogen, more or 

 less, faster than is provided by natural processes ; there- 

 fore, the farmer must supply these ingredients in the proper 

 proportion, so that our soils may furnish plant food in an 

 available form, according to the needs of our several crops. 

 Now, as onions and potatoes show by chemical analysis, to 

 contain a large proportion of potash, so much so as to be 

 classed as potash plants; and, inasmuch as Russell Coe's, 

 and the Standard Fertilizer used in the foregoing experi- 

 ment, contain but about 1.4 per cent, of potash, therefore, it 

 is reasonable to conclude that the land was well supplied 

 with potash, and weak in phosphoric acid, of which Coe's 

 contained 8 per cent, and the Standard contained 12 per 

 cent, which was found to be more effective than Coe's, thus 

 proving that the land was most deficient in phosphoric 

 acid. Now, while this fertilizer proved successful on Mr. 

 Longfellow's land, on some other land poor in potash, this 

 would doubtless prove quite unsatisfactory, and possibly a 

 failure, without an additional amount of potash. 



We have in mind an instance where an old onion field 

 had been manured liberally, several years, with stable 

 manure, and by a small application of ashes alone, a first- 

 rate crop of onions was grown, which happened to supply 

 the needed ingredient to the land ; the same application to 

 Mr. Longfellow's land would not probably have had the 

 same effect. In another instance, a piece of land near a 

 factory, in Hingham, was liberally spread with ashes from 

 the factory, for several years, which gave good crops of 



