The present condition of trade in commercial fertilizers by furnish- 

 ing not only compound mixtures for special crops, but also single 

 articles of plant food in diflferent forms, enable the intelligent farmer 

 to supply his deficiencies in manurial substances. A judicious dis- 

 crimination in choosing between them with reference to existing 

 wants becomes a necessity in the interest of good economy. 



Supplementing home made manures with special reference to the 

 wants of the crops to be raised has not yet received the serious 

 attention it deserves in the interest of remunerative crops. 



The approximate market value of the diflferent brands of fertilizers 

 obtained by the current mode of valuation, does not express their 

 respective agricultural value, i. e., their crop-producing value, for the 

 higher or lower market price of different brands of fertilizers does 

 not necessarily stand in a direct relation to their particular fitness 

 without any reference to the condition of the soil tu be treated and 

 the special wants of the crops to be raised by their assistance, nor to 

 the form in which the different guaranteed essential articles of plant 

 food are best adapted. 



To select judiciously from among the various brands of fertilizers 

 offered for patronage, requires in the main, two kinds of information, 

 namely, we ought to feel confident that the brand of fertilizer in 

 question actually contains the guaranteed quantities and qualities of 

 essential articles of plant food at a reasonable cost ; and that it con- 

 tains them in such form and such proportions as will best meet exist- 

 ing circumstances and special wants. In some cases it may be mainly 

 either phosphoric acid or nitrogen or potash, in others, two of them, 

 and in others again all three. A remunerative use of commercial 

 fertilizers can only be secured by attending carefully to the above 

 stated considerations. 



To assist farmers not yet familiar with the current mode of deter- 

 mining the commercial value of manurial substances offered for sale 

 in our markets, some of the essential considerations, which serve as 

 a basis, for their valuation, are once more stated within a few subse- 

 quent pages. 



The hitherto customary valuation of manurial substances is based 

 on the average trade value of the essential fertilizing elements speci- 

 fied by analysis. The money value of the higher grades of agricul- 

 tural chemicals and of the higher priced compound fertilizers, depends 

 in the majority of cases, on the amount and the particular form of 

 two or three essential articles of plant food, i. e., phosphoric acid, 



