1897.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — Xo. 33. 205 



and coniuining them in every conceivable proportion, are 

 asking for the patronage of all parties interested in the 

 raising of plants. 



A judicious management of the trade in commercial fertil- 

 izers implies a due recognition of well-established experi- 

 mental results regarding the requirements of a remunerative 

 production of farm and garden crops ; yet, as the manu- 

 facturer at best can only prepare the composition of his 

 special fertilizers on general lines, not knowing the particular 

 condition and character of the soil which ultimately receives 

 them, it becomes of the utmost importance on the part of the 

 farmer to make himself acquainted with his special wants of 

 manurial substances, and to thus qualify himself for a more 

 judicious selection from the various fertilizers offered for his 

 patronage. 



For the reason that the physical conditions and chemical 

 resources of soils on available plant food are frequently 

 differing widely even on the same farm, no definite rule can 

 be given for manuring farm lands, beyond the advice to 

 return to the soil those plant constituents which the crops 

 raised during preceding years have abstracted in an excep- 

 tionally large proportion, and which at the same time will 

 be especially called for by the crops to be raised. 



To select judiciously from among the agricultural chem- 

 icals and mixed fertilizers offered for sale for home use 

 requires, in the main, three kinds of information : — 



First. — A knowledge of the condition and the character 

 of the soil to be prepared for cultivation. 



Second. — An acquaintance w ith the composition of the 

 crops, as far as the essential elements of plant food they 

 contain are concerned. 



Third. — A fair information regarding the general char- 



O O C 



acter, as well as the special composition, of the manurial 

 substances offered for sale are concerned. 



To assist as far as practicable in obtaining the above-stated 

 desirable information, a compilation of the composition of 

 our most prominent farm and garden crops, as well as the 

 manurial substances and agricultural chemicals found in our 

 markets, has been published from time to time in our annual 

 reports, and will be found at the close of the present one. 



