THE BOOK OF THE PEONY 



made in my garden. The dimensions are one 

 hundred feet long by sixteen feet wide by two 

 feet nine inches deep. As the top soil averaged 

 nine inches in depth, one hundred and eighteen 

 cubic yards of subsoil had to be removed and re- 

 placed by new top soil and compost. The length 

 of haul to the place where the subsoil was ex- 

 changed for top soil and compost was sixty yards 

 by barrow and eighty-six yards by cart. The sub- 

 soil was a solid hard pan and had to be loosened 

 by pick, as dynamite could not be used for fear 

 of disturbing existing tile drains. This trench 

 required the labour of four men for twenty-six 

 working days. 



Well-rotted Manure and Compost: 

 Preparation and Use 



Manure is undoubtedly the best single fer- 

 tiliser for peonies, but it should always be applied 

 with judgment. I make a few practical sugges- 

 tions in regard to it : 



1. Use only well-rotted manure or compost — 

 a mixture of manure and soil. Probably the 

 quickest and most satisfactory way of preparing 

 compost is to follow the method used by many 

 market gardeners. A pile of new manure (pref- 



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