THE COMPOST 



creased if only a small quantity of compost 

 is to be prepared. In this case it dries out 

 quickly, and a certain amount of burning is 

 scarcely to be avoided. Special attention to 

 the moisture and compactness of the material 

 is then required; but whether it ''burns" or 

 not, the best type of fermentation, as my 

 experiments have repeatedly shown, is ob- 

 tained only when the temperature remains 

 for several days at a time above 125° F. 

 ''Burning" is indicative of a fairly high tem- 

 perature combined with a rapid drying out. 

 In a properly arranged compost pile the 

 greatest "burning" will occur just beneath 

 the surface, but it is still a question as to 

 what extent "burning" injures the compost. 

 Certainly a reasonably good yield may be 

 obtained from such material. 



During composting the manure should 

 lose practically all objectionable odor, and 

 with material properly prepared there is no 

 unpleasant feature after the preparation of 

 the beds. Other unmistakable signs of suffi- 

 cient composting are the oleaginous "feel," 



SI 



