VI. 
MANURES. 
seo) trust that impatient readers will 
4} not pass by this chapter with 
turned-up nose and a sniff of dis- 
9" dain, for the subject is an impor- 
tant, albeit an unpleasant one, to handle. 
We shall make it short, if not sweet. 
Manure, if new, should never be applied 
so as to come in contact with the roots, but 
may be spread on the surface of the earth as 
a mulch; this is often done with advantage 
in the autumn, digging it in in the following 
spring. Manure which is to be dug in about 
the plants must be decomposed, and may be 
advantageously mixed with a compost of 
good turfy loam and spent hops; all anima} 
manure is useful for roses, particularly 
droppings of the cow, pig, and sheep; these 
mixed with a compost as named form the 
best fertilizers that can be used. Besides 
these, the cleanings from the poultry house, 
night soil, soot, bone-dust, and guano will 
83 
