122 Xan^scape HrcF^itecture 



nitrogenous fertilizers from natural sources, organic 

 products like humus, stable or cow or sheep manure, 

 as distinguished from superphosphates of lime, potash, 

 and bone meal: these latter fertilizers are best suited 

 to orchards, and for vegetables that grow quickly in 

 one season. There is a valuable quality peculiar to 

 stable manure of the right kind in its full strength that 

 exactly suits the lawn, but the difficulty is to get such 

 manure. It is either burned (fire-fanged) from neglect 

 to turn it over and stir it up at the proper time, or it is 

 mixed with poisonous disinfectants or sawdust or a 

 superabundant amount of straw. So much for manure 

 secured in the city. In the country no one wants to 

 sell manure, especially the farmer who has use for all 

 he can make. Consequently it is a good idea to make 

 a storage place for all kinds of organic matter as well 

 as ordinary manure and treat it with water and stir 

 it and turn it over and drain it into a vat and thus 

 develop and preserve its strength for future use. If 

 stable manure is not available a good substitute for it 

 is decomposed muck dried and pulverized and 

 aerated. 



As nature is apt to accomplish such work better and 

 cEeaper than man, it is a good idea to use a top dressing 

 of muck soil taken from fields that have been used for 

 trucking vegetables. This material when dried should 

 contain about 80 per cent, humus with at least 3^ per 

 cent, ammonia. The ash or remainder should be 

 mainly silica and lime and a minimum of .35 per cent. 



