294 TALKS ON MANURES. 



before drilling in the seed. It will favor the formation of fibrous 

 roots and stimulate the growtli of the young plants. 



In raising onions from seed, v/e require an abundance of rich, 

 well-rotted manure, clean land, and early sowing. 



Onions rre often raised year after year on the same land. That 

 this entails a great wa.ste of manure, is highly probable, but it is 

 not an easy matter to get ordinary farm-land properly jirepared 

 for onions. It needs to be clean and free from stones and rubbish 

 of all kinds, and when once it is in good condition, it is thought 

 better to continue it in onions, even though it may entail more or 

 less loss of fertility. 



" What do 3'ou mean," asked the Deacon, " by loss of manure ?" 



" Simply this," said I. " We use a far greater amount of plant- 

 food in the shape of manure than is removed by the crop of onions. 

 And yet, notwithstanding this fact, it is found, as a matter of ex- 

 perience, that it is absolutely necessary, if we would raise a large 

 and profitable crop, to manure it every year." 



A few experiments would tlirow much light on this matter. I 

 should expect, when land had been heavily dressed every year for 

 a few years, with slable-manure, and annually sown to onions, 

 that 800 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia, or of nitrate of soda, or 1,200 

 lbs. of Peruvian guano would give as good a crop as 25 or 30 tons 

 of manure. Or perhaps a better plan would be to apply 10 or 15 

 loads of manure, and 600 lbs. of guano, or 400 lbs. sulphate of am- 

 monia. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



MANURES FOR GARDENS AND ORCHARDS. 



MANURE FOR MARKET-GARDENS. 

 The chief dependence of the market gardener must be on the 

 stable-manure which he can obtain from the city or village. The 

 chief defect of this manure is that it is not rich enough in avail- 

 able nitrogen. The active nitrogen exists principally in the urine, 

 and this in our city stables is largely lost. A tov of fresh, unmixed 

 horse-dung contains about 9 lbs. of nitrogen. A ton of horse-urine, 

 31 lbs. But this does not tell the whole story. The nitrogen in 

 the dung is contained in the crude, undigested portions of the 

 food. It is to a large extent insoluble and unavailable, while the 

 nitrogen in the urine is soluble and active. 



