NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
27 
significance. It indicates united 
action by a body of Congregational 
churches for the good of all and a 
plea for church unity that ought not 
to be disregarded. Whatever the lo- 
cal merits of the case may be, the 
high religious sentiment of the reso- 
lutions expresses the tendency of the 
times. ‘The church long established 
there is abundantly able to minister to 
the spiritual needs of the community: 
another church must mean two. weak 
churches in place of one strong one; 
it is contrary to the growing spirit of 
our time which favors the federation 
of small churches instead of the mul- 
tiplication. It would result in the 
weakening of the progress of the 
kingdom of God.” The summer resi- 
dents, incomers to the life of a com- 
munity, owe it as a moral responsi- 
bility, to build and not weaken the 
long-established moral and _ religious 
forces at work in the community 
where they choose. to live for the 
season. 
THE GARDEN CONTEST. 
The garden contest was inaug- 
urated to educate the children and 
incidentally to develop a public in- 
terest in backyard improvement. One 
rule of the contest, reads “clearing 
up refuse, old cans, ash heaps, bar- 
rels, papers and other litter, and 
keeping the gardens and yards clean 
and neat the whole season counts 
even more than a great show of 
flowers or vegetables for a week or 
two. Contestants may lose prizes 
through failing to care for their gar- 
dens. Ugly walls, fences and out- 
buildings covered with vines will 
help win a general prize.” This in- 
dicates the scope of the work. ‘There 
are prizes to be awarded for general 
garden improvement, for wall or 
fence improvement, for the best vege- 
table garden, for the best window 
boxes and gratuities as encourage- 
ment to those who though diligent 
and successful with their garden did 
not win a prize. ‘The contest has the 
_ disadvantages of every struggle for a 
reward. If, however, the contest will 
awaken the minds of the children to 
the real rewards of nature and the 
love of the beautiful for its own sake, 
it will have been worth while. 
THe Beverty IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY. 
There is a place in every commun- 
ity for a society to care for its open 
areas, playgrounds and _ recreation 
grounds and to lead a campaign of 
public education in any matter which 
will add to the natural attractiveness 
of the place and preserve such beauty 
spots as nature has already blessed 
it with. In its chosen field the Bev- 
erly Improvement Society has been 
doing effective work in the past and 
the energy and spirit put into the 
work ior the coming season assures 
success for the future. ‘The society 
was organized in 1888 “to improve 
and adorn the city of Beverly and to 
preserve its natural beauties.” ‘lhe 
membership is nominal. Every per- 
son who plants a tree on a public 
highway is entitled to membership. 
Two fields of work have been 
opened for the season of 1911, a cam- 
paign of public education to abate the 
fly nuisance and the school garden 
contest, to stimulate an interest in 
nature, to awaken a love of the beau- 
tiful in flowers and to improve to the 
best advantage, yards and neglected 
garden spots. 
TREE CULTURE. 
America is awakening to the value 
of her trees none too soon. We can 
still learn much from the European 
countries where village after village 
does not contain a wooden dwelling 
house. Because of the scarcity of 
wood, they know how to value trees. 
The gift of fifty thousand catalpa 
trees to the Public School children of 
Providence by John Shepherd Junior 
gives a hint to other communities for 
economic tree planting. ‘The planting 
of a tree on the public highway will 
entitle a resident of Beverly to mem- 
bership in its Improvement Society. 
The development of a public interest 
in tree planting is the hope for the 
future. 
INCREASING USE OF FERTILIZERS IN 
THE UNITED STATES. 
Soil foods seem to be rapidly gain- 
ing in popularity or absolute require- 
ment, or perhaps both, among the 
agriculturists of the United States. 
The total value of imported fertiliz- 
ers, including materials largely though 
not exclusively used for that pur- 
pose, aggregated 4o million dollars 
in the calendar year 1910, against 
10% million in 1900 and 5% million 
in 1&g0, according to figures compiled 
by the Bureau of Statistics of the 
Department of Commerce and La- 
bor; while other reports covering the 
production of fertilizers indicate also 
a large and perhaps equally rapid 
growth in domestic output of the va- 
rious materials used for fertilizing 
purposes. The production of phos- 
phate rock, for example, largely used 
in the manufacture of artificial fer- 
tilizers, increased, according to re- 
ports of the Geological Survey, from 
6% million dollars in 1904 to 1034 
million dollars in 1909; while the 
Census Office reports the value of fer- 
tilizers manufactured in 1890 at 39 
million dollars, in 1900 at 45 million, 
and in 1905 at 57 million dollars, and 
if the rate of increase just shown 
with regard to the production of 
phosphates, a basic material in the 
manufacture of fertilizers, occurred 
also in the output of manufactured 
fertilizers during the period since 
1905, the total production in 1910 was 
probably 70 million dollars. Mean- 
time the United States imported last 
year fertilizers to the value of 10 
million dollars, making the approxi- 
mate consumption of soil foods by the 
farmers of the country about 100 mil- 
lion dollars per annum, omitting con- 
sideration in this connection of cot- 
ton-seed meal, used in part as fer- 
tilizer material, but largely as a food 
for live-stock. 
The increase in importation of the 
more important classes of articles 
used as fertilizers is indicated by the 
following figures. Imports of soda 
nitrate, or Chile saltpetre, have in- 
creased from 3 million dollars in 
1890 to 5 million in 1900 and to over 
16% million dollars in the calendar 
year 1910. ‘The imports of potash 
salts of the fertilizer class, chiefly the 
muriate and sulphate, have increased 
from tr million dollars in 1890 to 2 
million in 1900 and 6 2-3 million in 
1910; while imports of phosphates, 
guano, kainit and other fertilizers 
have increased from over 1 million 
dollars in 1890 to 2 million in 1900 
and 9% million in 1910. 
The commercial sources of the ele- 
ments chiefly relied upon as soil foods 
—nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and pot- 
ash—are comparatively few. Nitrate 
of soda, valuable because of its high 
content of nitrogen, comes almost ex- 
clusively from Chile, from which the 
imports amount to Over 300,000 tons, 
valued at about 13 million dollars, per 
annum. ‘The potash salts are practi- 
cally all the product of Germany, the 
imports therefrom of muriate of pot- 
ash, valuable by reason of its rich- 
ness in available potash ranging from 
200 million to 400 million pounds, 
valued at from 3 million to 5 million 
dollars, per annum. ‘The imported 
sulphate of potash also comes chiefly 
from Germany, though — smaller 
amounts are imported from Belgium, 
Austria-Hungary, and Japan. Im- 
ported guano comes from a consid- 
erable number of countries, though 
mostly from Peru and Germany, 
smaller amounts being imported from 
the United Kingdom, Mexico, Neth- 
erlands, the Dutch West Indies, and, 
in some years, from Uruguay, Vene- 
zuela, and British possessions in 
Oceania. Of the imported crude 
phosphates Belgium, French Guiana, 
and British Oceania are the chief 
