Evidence is presented substantiating three reasons for not using farmyard manure in forest tree nurseries. The data have been obtained from southern Ontario nurseries of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. Manures sampled had high pH's and high calcium contents, both of which are generally considered unsuitable for growing conifer stock. Applications of manure compared with certain inorganic fertilizers are shown to be a most uneconomical method of adding nitrogen to the soil.