A DEBIT AND CREDIT ACCOUNT 1 7 



contained in 2.47 tons high-grade muriate of potash. 

 It is not aiiirmed that the constituents contained in 

 the manure are equal in agricultural value to those 

 contained in the fertilizers mentioned, or that even 

 under the best conditons of care and application, 

 they could not be used by the plants, but, because 

 the manure contains all the constituents and is well 

 adapted for most crops, the general farmer is, as a 

 rule, able to get as good returns from it in propor- 

 tion to constituents contained as from products con- 

 taining the same constituents in more available forms. 



The tabulation shows, further, that if all the milk 

 sold from the farm was obtained from foods grown 

 on the farm, the exhaustion of nitrogen would be in 

 greater proportion than the mineral elements, and 

 that when this is the practice it is necessary to apply 

 nitrogenous fertilizers in order to maintain the fer- 

 tility. If manure is well cared for and used properly, 

 it is more economical to purchase the nitrogen in 

 the form of feeding stuffs, whose whole cost is 

 returned in the increased product resulting from 

 the use of well-balanced rations. 



Business methods in maintaining fertility. — Any 

 system of farming must result in the removal of 

 some of the elements of fertility from the soil, but 

 dairy farming properly conducted results in the 

 removal of a minimum rather than a maximum of 

 these elements ; provides for the physical and chemi- 

 cal character of soils and is constructive rather 

 than destructive in its effects. 



It is the dairy farmer's business to so utilize his 

 crops as to remove from the farm only the minimum 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



