FOOD OF PLANTS, AND HOW THEY TAKE IT. 113 
1st. Ascertain the chemical character of the whole of the 
plant to be fed or matured—the crop to be grown. 
2d. Ascertain whether the soil upon which we intend to 
sow the seed contains a sufficiency of all the inorganic 
elements needed by the crop. 
3d. If there be any deficiency of any one of these elements, 
let it be supplied at once with the needful material in a con¬ 
dition to be accessible and available to the plant; but we 
must avoid excess. 
4th. Ascertain whether there be any acrid or poisonous 
substances in the soil, -that would prove injurious to the 
plant; even an excess of some of those elements that are 
needful constituents of the vegetation that is desired will, 
in some cases, prove fatal to success—this is especially true 
of the alkalies and alkaline earths in a caustic state ; but 
the latter, lime, is soon neutralized by exposure to the air. 
It is also true of sulphate of iron, also corrected by lime. 
3th. In the application of manures of any kind, whether 
yard manure, more concentrated compounds of exoremen- 
titious and other animal matters, or those substances that 
are called special and mineral manures, care must be exer¬ 
cised to have these matters properly comminuted, and for 
this purpose they may be mingled and diluted with common 
soil—thus they may be the more evenly and regularly dis¬ 
tributed. This is especially the case with guano, boiled or 
ground bones—oil-cake, poudrette, &c. 
6th. In the use of yard manures, the great question, as 
to whether it shall be applied green or thoroughly fermented 
and composted, the answer must depend upon the character 
of the soil, as to its texture, and also upon the nature of the 
crop to which it is to be applied. 
7th. For corn, potatoes, and other field crops, apply it 
green, and in the spring of the year, particularly on clayey 
soils. For gooseberries, currants, shrubbery, &c., where it 
may be useful also as a mulch, apply it on the top of the 
freshly dressed soil, either in the fall or early spring, but the 
former is better. For grass lands, apply late in the autumn or 
early in the spring—without regard to the moon’s phase. For 
gardens, vineyards, and in all cases where it is an important 
desideratum to avoid weeds, and where the soil does not need 
the disintegrating influence of decaying vegetable fibre, let 
it be very thoroughly composted, but let this process and the 
fermentation attendant upon it be very closely watched and 
kept under control ; such manure can be thoroughly incor¬ 
porated with the soil and be accessible to the roots. 
(To be continued .) 
