256 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



tion of new and more numerous shoots. They benefit the 

 inherent stock of plant food only as much as they contain 

 one or more of them in an available condition, which is 

 usually an unknown quantity. 



Other substances, quite frequently of a mere local interest, 

 might be added to the previous list, if space permitted. 



Most of these previously stated manurial substances, it 

 will be noticed, are only temporary remedies, if any. They 

 assist more or less in economizins;' existing local resources 

 of plant food. They may, however, if used intelligently, 

 quite frequently serve as valuable helpmates in a more 

 rational and more com})rehensive economical system of 

 manuring grass lands capable of a remunerative improve- 

 ment. As an economical source of phosphoric acid, aside 

 from ground bone, which furnishes phosphoric acid and 

 nitrogen, in many instances finely ground mineral phosphate 

 from Florida, South Carolina, West Indies and other locali- 

 ties deserves recommendation for grass lands as a top-dress- 

 ing, on account of low cost. Kainite and muriate of potash 

 are to-day our most efficient and cheapest sources of potash 

 for forage crops. 



Wood ashes are a valuable fertilizer for grass lands, if 

 applied in sufficient quantities ; our average unleached 

 Canada wood ash contains from 5 to 6 per cent of potassium 

 oxide, 1.5 to 2.5 per cent of phosphoric acid and 30 to 35 

 per cent of calcium oxide (lime), besides small quantities 

 of every other essential mineral constituent required for a 

 successful growth of plants. The absence of nitrogen is 

 somewhat compensated for by the presence of a liberal 

 amount of lime, which favors a rapid decomposition of the 

 veofetable matter contained in the soil. The nitrojjen of the 

 vegetable refuse matter becomes thereby in a high degree 

 available. The good effect of wood ashes is for this reason 

 more striking upon grass lands, rich in vegetable refuse 

 matter, than upon dry lands, which as a rule contain less of 

 the latter. 



The good services of l)arn-yard manure for the production 

 of grasses are generally recognized, yet its efficiency may be 

 greatly increased in this connection by the addition of some 

 suitable potash compound, to turn its excess of nitrogen to 



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