1S87 



(;J.h:ANtN(j8 IN HEi: ciii/ruiiK. 



to satisfy myself as to tlie benellt of old I'ot- ; 

 ten sawdust. On our stiff clay soils, this 

 old sawdust seems to have a very beuelieial 

 effect; but I presume swamp muck would 

 answer just as well, and may be better, for 

 both of them are decayed vejjetable matter. 

 I liave been under the impression that saw- 

 dust is particularly benelicial to raspberries 

 and strawberries. Who has not noticed the 

 exceedingly line fj;rowth and line fruit of the ; 

 raspberry and strawberry, when growing | 

 near decayed stumps, or old rotten logs? I 

 Xow. with the manure-spreader we can put 

 on just as big a load of sawdust as we have 

 a mind to, and the nuu-hinc will spread it 

 over the ground most beautifully, throwing 

 it down between the foliage, and breaking 

 lip tine every lump there mny be in it.* If 

 yonr strawbeiries are put in rows the right 

 distance apart, the manure-spreader can be 

 run through them at almost any season of 

 the year, to spread sawdust, muck, ashes, or 

 even stable-mamire ; and if stable-manure 

 can be thus spread among the plants, just 

 before a good heavy shower, it seems to do 

 more good than any other way in which I 

 have applied it. The machine can be set so 

 as to spread at three different rates of speed ; 

 and where you wisli to imt only a ^■ery thin 

 sprinkling of lime. ;ishes. or plaster, over 

 your gronnd, the ijuantity you have maybe 

 spread over a still larger area by having the 

 box of the manure-spreader only half full or 

 less. J^et any one take a load of ashes, and 

 try to spread it evenly by hand over a piece 

 of gn)und, and then see the manure-spread- 

 er do it. and he will be satisfied of the mer- 

 its of the machine. 



Perhaps some of the friends may think it 

 a little strange that I should say so much in 

 praise of so expensive a piece of machinery 

 for the simple purpose of spreading manure, 

 and nothing else, in a book that is written 

 purposely to tell those out of emi)loyment 

 what to d<i. To which I rejtly, that people 

 who own property are very often in want of 

 something to do. as well as those who have 

 nothing in this world. If I can suggest to a 

 farmer or gardener a way of finding work 

 on his own premises, instead of besieging 

 our mills and factories foi- employment, I 

 think I am doing him a service ; and in no 

 way that I know of can we succeed in mak- 



* ir the sawdust is spread in the spring- or fall, the 

 strawberries will shoot rig-ht up throug-h it, and it 

 wouldn't do any hurt if the foliage and crowns were 

 e()\eri'd slightly-, sa.v half an inch or less: if, how- 

 ever, it is put oil after g^rowth has started in the 

 spring-, or while the plants are growing, the saw- 

 dust should lie shaken off by "-athering up the 

 leaves and lifting them up to the light. 



ing a man so permanently happy and satis- 

 lied, as by encouraging or inducing him to 

 lind employment on his own premises. Tiie 

 enjoyment resulting from working the ground 

 is in having good crops ; and without plenty 

 of good manure. proi>erly applied to the soil, 

 there can lie no satisfactory returns. Some 

 years ago the matter of getting honey from 

 the gooseberry and currant was discussed 

 in one of oui- bee-journals. One brother 

 mentioned that the (mly time he ever saw 

 bees gather honey and build comb in real 

 earnest from gooseberry and currant blossoms 

 was when he gave his whole enrrant-patcli a 

 tremendous manuring. Ilis wife iiad been 

 teasing for a lot of nice currants, and, to 

 please her, he just covered the whole grouiul 

 with manure. The bushes, of course, made 

 a corresi)Oudingly luxuriant growth, and the 

 year after they not only had currants by the 

 bushel, but they had tiner currants than any 

 one ever saw or heard of before arounil there. 

 [ Xow, it is so with almost all kinds of fruit. 

 , It is not, however, the amount of maimre 

 I which is put on. but it is the way it is ap- 

 ! plied. If you use yoiu- eyes carefully you 

 I can see how it is that plants take the ma- 

 nure and work it into luxuriant growth. The 

 manure needs to be applicnl in such a way 

 that, after a warm summei- showci-. the 

 : dark-colored liipiid that comes from tiie ma- 

 ; nme shall go directly to the roots of the 

 I plants. Xow. many of the roots are much 

 I nearer the surface of tlie ground than luost 

 people imagine. The roots of the strawber- 

 I ry and celery are close to the surface of tiie 

 I ground. Why. we know, without telling. 

 I that this dark-colored manure-water, seen 

 I on the surface of the ground around tlie 

 I plants after a heavy shower. \\ ill surel> 

 bring the rich dark-green leaves, pushing up 

 and bursting forth so rapidly that they al- 

 I most seem to move. The tinest growth of 

 I celery I ever saw in m> life was on a little 

 piece of ground close to a line fence between 

 myself and a neighlior. Ilis manure was 

 I on higher ground than the celery plants, 

 i and after a hea\y rain the water ran down 

 : from the manure-heap all over m> idants in 

 such a way as to leave inky puddles for sev- 

 ' eral rods. The celery w'as the last put out 

 of the season, and it consisted of the rem- 

 nants of a l)ed which I had not intended to 

 make an> use of. Before 1 knew it these 

 plants had shot up so that they fell over and 

 lay sprawling on the surface of the ground. 

 We went at it and earthed them up in the 

 most approved manner: but in a week tliey 

 were sprawling around again, ^^'e banked 



