farmer applied six hundred pounds of superphosphate to a plat of corn-
land, and three hundred pounds to an adjacent plat wherein the
conditions were the same. The yield of the first plat was scarcely in
excess of that of the second, and in neither case was there a
sufficient increase to repay for the fertilizer. It does not follow
that the man used an adulterated and worthless article. Analysis shows
that corn needs nitrogen and potash in large proportions; and if these
had been employed with the superphosphate, the result probably would
have been very different. Superphosphate contains nitrogen, but not in
sufficient degree. These considerations bring us to the sound
conclusion that in enriching our land it would be wise to use complete
fertilizers as far as possible; that is, manures containing all, or
nearly all, the essential ingredients of the strawberry plant and
fruit. If we could always know just what elements are lacking in our
soils, we could merely supply these; but frequent analyses are
expensive, and often misleading, at best. The safest plan is always to
keep within reach of the plants the food we know they require, and the
roots, with unerring instinct, will attend to the proportions. Hence
the value of barnyard manure in the estimation of plain common-sense.
A sensible writer has clearly shown that from twenty-three cows and
five horses, if proper absorbents are used, $5.87 worth of nitrogen,
potash, and phosphoric acid can be obtained every twenty-four hours,
estimating these vitally important elements of plant-food at their
wholesale valuation. In addition, there are the other constituents of
the yard manure which, if not so valuable, are still very useful. To
permit the waste of any fertilizer that can be saved or made upon our
places, and then buy the same thing with the chance of being cheated,
is thus shown to be wretched economy. Commercial fertilizers can never
supersede the compost heap, into which should go everything which will
enable us to place in the soil organic matter and the other elements