THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. IX. No. 4. MARCH, 1903. 



THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURES. 



The issue of this Journal (or March, 1902, contained an article 

 setting forth some of the points that a farmer may with advan- 

 tage consider in purchasing artificial manures. The present 

 article is designed to supply practical information in regard to 

 the use of these substances. 



In giving general recommendations on the subject of manuring, 

 it is to be borne in mind that, although the advice offered may 

 be serviceable in the majority of cases, it will certainly not be 

 applicable to exceptional circumstances. Farmers who manure 

 on general principles will, no doubt, usually be right, but those 

 who are dealing with soil of an exceptional character, or with a 

 farm that has been managed in an exceptional manner, may be 

 led very far astray by blindly following general principles. 

 Take, as an example, the manuring of meadows. The teachings 

 of Rothamsted, and of several other experimental stations, show 

 that, as a rule, potash is a most important ingredient in a 

 manurial mixture, and yet there are cases where this substance 

 does harm rather than good when used for meadow hay. Or, 

 take the effects of this substance on the turnip crop. As a rule 

 it is necessary, and its use will leave a profit, though it cannot be 

 said that, in the majority of cases, its presence or absence is a 

 matter of vital importance. But there are cases where potash is 

 the most important element of all in the treatment of this crop ; 

 so much so, indeed, that the most liberal applications of nitrogen 

 and phosphates may be absolutely without effect if unsupported 

 by potash. 



It is, therefore, the first duty of a farmer to ascertain what the 



II 



