2 3 
Manures and Manuring 
go on during the time there are no plants in the ground, 
and also to give time for it to be changed into the available 
form of plant food. It contains a considerable quantity of 
common salt as an impurity, so that it is especially suitable 
for crops which require salt, such as Asparagus. Sulphate 
or muriate of potash may be applied at the rate of from 
i to i| lb. per pole. Kainit may be applied at the rate 
of from 8 to io lb. per pole. 
Wood ashes contain a considerable proportion of potash, 
and therefore should be saved and spread on the soil to 
supply that manure. It is also perfectly safe in use, and 
two or three times as much may be applied with safety 
as when kainit is used. 
MIXED MANURES 
There are many mixed manures on the market, some 
very expensive, but useful, and some that are practically 
of no value. It is therefore worth while to study the 
problem of manuring. From what has been said we now 
know the necessary substances required to form the food 
of plants. It should therefore be a comparatively easy 
matter to make a selection of the most suitable manures 
for any particular crop or soil. Soils differ so much that 
only general guidance can be given in any book. Each 
individual must make careful experiments, and note very 
closely the results of each experiment. 
There are certain manures which may be mixed quite 
freely. Others, however, should not be mixed, as they act 
on each other, and the necessary properties for manuring of 
one, or perhaps both, may be lost. For example, if basic 
