126 THE SUGAR BEET. 



to produce a fertilizer taking the place of barnyard 

 manure, not only giving equal results as to the yield, 

 but at far less cost. If these mineral manures had been 

 advocated only by given manufacturers of fertilizers, 

 they would have had but little intei-est, but such is 

 not the case, as the farmers have given them their 

 endorsement, not without considerable discussion. It 

 was argued that the organic fertilizer contained ele- 

 ments (humus, etc.) that did not or could not exist 

 in any chemical compound, and that the results ob- 

 tained with the latter, however surprising at first, 

 would have for a final ending the exhaustion of the 

 ground; but, as we shall presently see, this is not the 

 case. Evidently these^ like all others, have at times 

 been utilized in a most irrational manner, producing a 

 bad efiect both on the soil and the crops, but these are 

 circumstances we have not here to consider. 



Whatever be the plant, it is composed of fourteen 

 elements : — 



1. Cai'bon, 6. Potassium, 11. Iron, 



2. Hydrogen, 7. Calcium, 12. Silicum, 



3. Oxygen, 8. Sodium, 13. Sulphur, 



4. Nitrogen, 9. Magnesium, 14. Manganese. 



5. Phosphorus, 10. Chlorine, 



The first four, with the exception of a portion of the 

 nitrogen, come from the air, rain, etc. These evidently 

 have nothing to do with the exhausting principle. If 

 we consider the last seven they are contained in all soils 

 in abundance, and even in those nearly sterile they 

 exist in suflScient quantities. There remain, 1st nitro- 



