692 Transactions of the American Institute. 



acid in the former is in sucli condition that it may be readily 'taken 

 up by plants ; while o;i the other hand, the acid in the latter is nearly 

 insoluble and the material benefits the soil and helps the crops very 

 Blowly. 



4'. The more highly organized the material from which a fertilizer 

 is made the richer and more readily decomposed it will be ; the richer 

 the manure and the more prompt the decomposition, the more rapid 

 will be its action ; the greater the activity, the sooner is the effect 

 exhausted. This explains why guanos and poudrettes which are 

 made from highly organic matter act at once, produce heavy crops 

 and shew the most of their effect in a single season. Compared with 

 tardy manures it is the quick penny against the slow shilling. 



5. The mechanical -condition of a fertilizer has much to do with its 

 efficacy when applied to the soil. As a general rule, the finer the 

 material the quicker it acts, and, of course, the sooner it is exhausted. 

 Thus in the use of bones, bone flour will act more rapidly, but bone 

 dust will help the soil for a ^longer time. 



The only safeguard of the farmer against loss in the use of com- 

 mercial manures lies in dealing with honest men, and in studying 

 closely the best methods of apply ing the material to his crops. Many 

 a hard working tiller of the soil has been duped by venders of adul- 

 terated fertilizers, and oi: the other hand, many an upright dealer has 

 been accused of fraud because the farmer in his ignorance misman- 

 aged the stuff after lie had bought it. 



Adjourned. 



