14 Teuok Geowing in the South. 



of producing large crops of first-class quality. Quality 

 as well as quantity depend, to a large extent, upon abund- 

 ance of plant food ever ready in the soil. In some sec- 

 tions commercial fertilizer has scarcely had an introduc- 

 tion to the gardeners, and stable manure is the only plant 

 food ever used. This is a great mistake. There is no 

 better manure than stable manure, so far as it goes, but 

 it is incomplete ration, and in all cases should be supple- 

 mented with potash and phosphoric acid. A limited 

 quantity of stable manure is advisable for any and all 

 soils, where the price is reasonable ; but it will hardly pay 

 to use in any quantity where the price is above two dol- 

 lars per two-horse load, delivered in the field. Its value 

 is based not only on its plant food contents, but aside from 

 this it has the power of improving the mechanical condi- 

 tion of the soil, and supplying nitrogen-producing bac- 

 teria. However it is not advisable to use it too liberally 

 on sandy soil, as it has a tendency to cause the land to dry 

 out, and renders it thirsty. Care should be taken to avoid 

 manure which contains seeds of plants which are objec- 

 tionable such as weeds, crab grass, etc. Broadcasting is 

 advisable in applying stable manure, as it brings the ma- 

 nure more thoroughly into contact with the soil, and 

 causes less drying out of the lands. Commercial fertiliz- 

 ers are little understood by the farming public in general, 

 and they need to be better educated along this line. My 

 experience in the home-mixing of commercial fertilizers 

 has been highly satisfactory, and the best crops I have 

 ever grown have been produced with my own mixtures. 

 While I know that I am antagonizing the interests of fer- 

 tilizer manufactures by advocating home mixtures, I wish 



