184 BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
indicating, no matter how roughly, what can be done in this respect 
in England. In case it could be shown that our manufacturers are 
quite unable to compete with those of England in this branch of 
manufacture, there might be ground for arguing that we had bet- 
ter obtain our entire supply of superphosphate from Europe. 
Mr. Lawes’s advice to farmers that they should purchase fertilizers 
singly, — that is to say, in the uncompounded state, —and mix them 
for themselves when mixtures are needed, is a point that cannot be 
too strongly urged in this country. All that could be said as to the 
inadvisability of buying mixtures of superphosphate and nitrate of 
soda or sulphate of ammonia may be urged with still greater force 
against the mixtures of superphosphate and rough nitrogenous mat- 
ters, such as fish-scrap or slaughter-house refuse, that are so common 
in the American markets. The farmer can buy these nitrogenous 
fertilizers by themselves at cheap rates ; and it will unquestionably 
be well for him to do so, especially since it has been shown that pure 
superphosphates can readily be procured from Europe. 
Some of the other recommendations of Mr. Lawes will hardly be 
found to meet the requirements of most soils in this vicinity. Thus, 
his proposal to use nitrate of soda at the rate of two hundred and 
seventy-five pounds to the acre, his omission of potash from the mix- 
ture of fertilizers, and his remark as to the inutility of putting potash 
upon land apply, of course, only to the soils of fertile regions, or to 
soils derived from rocks rich in potash. It has long been known that 
the soils of New England stand in great and special need of potash, 
as has been set forth at some length in this Bulletin, pages 155-161. 
