IN FLORIDA 19 
have kept them in a high state of fertility by putting back on 
them all the waste and rubbish obtainable. We in the United 
States, with a wonderfully fertile soil, have in a little over a 
century so exhausted much of our land that it will scarcely 
produce anything. My own ground, though mostly ordinary 
pine land, is far richer and darker colored now than when it 
was virgin soil, and all because I have put far more on it than I 
have taken off. I have used but little commercial fertilizer on it. 
Much of the substance of vegetation comes from the atmos- 
phere and quite a little from rain, and it stands to reason that if 
all the waste material on a plantation goes back into the soil 
it will be enriched instead of exhausted. It is in this way that 
leaf mould has been formed in forests; in fact, that humus has 
been made all over the earth. 
Of course it is best to use some commercial fertilizer on our 
poor soil. Throughout the state quite generally stable manure 
is purchased, often shipped in, and applied freely to vegetable 
and ornamental gardens with excellent results to the plants. 
But there are those who think its use draws the terrible mole 
crickets, and it is certain that in many places in this vicinity 
where it is used freely these insects have become an intolerable 
pest, while in others where none of it has been used they do not 
trouble. 
I think it a good idea to spread muck around trees and plants 
on pine land, say a couple of inches in depth; then hoe or dig it 
into the soil. If one can, it is better to give.a little fertilizer 
often, working it into the ground, than to put it on in large 
amounts. 
During the winter in Florida,—especially southern Florida,— 
we are liable to have warm spells with some rain. If the soil 
around plants is worked through the cool season and fertilizer 
is applied it is quite probable that growth may start, and then, 
in case of frost, much more damage will be done than if the 
plants had been left alone. It is a good rule to let plants go 
without culture during the time of year when there is danger 
of frost. Even hardy stuff is likely to suffer if frozen when in 
full growth. I have had monthly roses when growing vigorously 
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