46 Market Gardening. 



There are innumerable ways of increasing the bulk 

 and enhancing the qualit}^ of the compost heap, which 

 can best be mastered by the study of any good manual 

 on the subject ; and we do not aim here at supersed- 

 ing any of theje treatises. Our object is mainly to 

 call attention to this means of utilizing all manner of 

 decomposable trash, and converting it into valuable 

 plant food. There is an old saying, that " anything 

 that grows in one summer will decay before the next ; " 

 and this hint maybe profitable as a guide in collect- 

 ing vegetable matter for the compost heap. 



The presence of the loam, or loamy mixtures, in the 

 heap is quite important. It has been said that where 

 sods, muck and weeds form a part of the mass, it is 

 not alone the vegetable matter which has been brought 

 in that constitutes a mater.'al addition ; perhaps it is 

 not even the principal one. There is always consid- 

 erable earth adhering. " Tne fermentation, induced 

 by the dung and liquid man.ire and the action of the 

 lime or ashes added, works upon the earth adhering to 

 the roots and forming a considerable part both of 

 sods and muck ; and develops an admirable quality of 

 plant food." Hence this element of the compost heap, 

 which is generally overlooked as unimportant, should 

 never be wanting — instead of diluting, it in reality 

 reinforces the other manurial elements. 



Liquid manure is seldom at hand in large quanthies, 

 and not much advance has been made in using it 

 directly upon the land under crop. When this is done, 

 it should be in a very diluted state. Even if so much 

 diluted that it seems to run perfectly clear, it may still 



