248 MANURES FOR TREES 



" unhasting," trusting that in the end our work 

 will throw a new light upon this interesting and 

 all-important department of chemistry. It appears 

 that the advance which we have already accom- 

 plished in the art of manuring, instead of narrowing, 

 actually expands the fields which remain for us to 

 occupy. We are now in a position to supply the 

 gardener with a rational system of manuring 

 suitable for various trees and soils. 



The application of small quantities of special 

 manures must not be viewed as a trivial matter in 

 the cultivation of fruit and other trees. Many gar- 

 deners fail in fruit growing because they do not 

 realise what an important part manures play in the 

 nourishment of trees. Nothing should be con- 

 sidered to be too trivial ; brilliant colours, delicious 

 perfumes, perfect- shaped blooms, leaves and fruits 

 can only be obtained when the soil contains all the 

 necessary plant food in an assimilable form. 



It is of the utmost value to know the special 

 manure and the quantity to apply for any partic- 

 ular tree and soil. It is indispensable that every 

 tree or shrub should find in the soil in which it grows 

 those mineral or inorganic constituents which nature 

 has rendered necessary to it. As soon as mineral 

 food is absorbed, it begins to ascend into the stem. 



