42 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



Nothing is lost, unless on side hills, in drawing out barn manure in 

 winter-time, as fast as made, and spreading it upon the ground, and much^ 

 valuable time in spring is saved. 



Where barn manure is scant, it is no doubt wise to buy commercial 

 fertilizers for the orchard and garden, especially in connection with good 

 cultivation, but it is unwise to apply fertilizers and neglect that careful 

 working of the soil by which its own native fertility is rendered available for 

 tree and plant growth. Frequently, indeed, it is found that cultivation alone 

 is wanted to bring a barren and profitless orchard into a fruitful and paying 

 condition. 



Sometimes it will pay the farmer to make his own chemical fertilizer, by 

 buying the raw material, and mixing it himself. Prof. Panton stated, at 

 our meeting af Chatham, that a saving of twenty per cent, can be effected 

 by making a superphosphate at home. His recipe for the mixture will be 

 found on page 82 of our Report for 1887. It was by bulk, one part bone 

 dust, two parts of ashes, one third of water, and one sixth of plaster. This 

 of course lacks nitrogen, but this can be furnished in barn-yard manure. 

 His recipe, by weight, was one part of bone, one of ash, about a quarter of 

 slacked lime, and about one-eight of crude carbonate of soda. After this 

 has stood a while, add some soil, say one-fifth of the bulk. 



Either one of these will form a most excellent fertilizer for the garden 

 and orchard. 



In order that our readers may be able to judge of the value of any 

 commercial fertilizer offered for sale, we give here the average trade values, 

 or retail cost per pound of the ordinary occurring form? of nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid and potash, according to a late bulletin of the Connecticut 

 Experiment Station: 



Nitrogen in ammonia salts 



" nitrates 



Organic nitrogen in dri and fine ground fish, meat and blood 



" in cotton seed meal and castor-pomace 



" " in fine bone and tankage 



" " in fine medium bone and tankage 



in medium bone and tankage 



" " in coarser bone and tankage 



" " in hair, horn shavings and coarse fish scrap 



Phosphoric acid, soluble in water 



" " " in ammonium citrate* 



" in dry ground fish, fine bone and tankage 



" " in fine medium bone and tankage 



" " "in medium bone and tankage 



"in coarser bone and tankage 



" " " in fine ground rock phosphate 



Potash as high grade Sulphate and in forms free from Muriate (or Chlorides) . . 



" as kainit 



as muriate 



Per Lb. 



19 

 17 

 19 

 15 

 16 



13 



