20 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



olDJection to tMs inunediate application, the certainty that all 

 manner of insect-eggs must be abundant in the waste leaves, 

 and that many may be thus committed to the soil, to become 

 very shortly enormous plagues. By laying the waste together 

 to rot with or without the aid of lime or other means to hasten 

 decomposition, the great mass of these eggs is destroyed, and 

 the result is a far cleaner and better compost to add to the 

 soil. But there are some estates whereon the leaves and waste 

 form an enormous bulk ; and in such case, the burning of it, 

 and the spreading of the ashes, will be found equally advan- 

 tageous. Leaves laid up, and allowed to rot into mould, 

 become valuable ; they ought, therefore, to be collected and laid 

 by, year after year. They make fine mould for potting. 

 Cabbage-leaves, and the trimmings and waste of all vegetables, 

 should be thrown in a hole ; and if they become at all offen- 

 sive, throw some lime over them, and water it. The heap will 

 be rendered perfectly harmless, and that forms a manure that 

 may be used in any quantity, for decaying vegetable returns 

 to the earth just what the eaiih has given. The next useful 

 and harmless manure is — 



IVf.ats' and Sheep-dung. — These animals hving exclusively 

 on vegetable food, their manure is of the highest importance, 

 and cannot be applied in excess ; for the worst that comes of 

 it may be set down as unnecessary trouble, where such 

 dressing is plentiful. In the apphcation, this may be green 

 or rotted, but the latter is the most easily used. INeats'-dung, 

 collected dry from the forests, commons, and pastures, forms 

 a valuable manure for particular subjects, and should be sought 

 and procured, every opportunity. Sheep-dung forms an ex- 

 cellent liquid manure ; by putting a barrowful into about a 

 hogshead of water, you are enabled to give a good dressing to 

 plants that could not be reached in any other way ; this may 

 be picked up on commons and wastes. 



Horse or Stable Dung is valuable : no manure gives 

 more solid advantage ; that is to say, no manure gives better 

 heart to ground for general purposes, whether ploughed or 

 dug in, as it comes from the stable, or allowed to rot first. 

 The application of manure of this kind may be by digging it 

 in, a spit deep, after spreading it evenly on the surface ; or 

 by forking it in, which will mix it with the top spit more 

 equally. The dung from hot-beds, used for melons, cucum- 

 bers, and other early productions, makes excellent manure at 



