w 



Soils and Mantjees. 39 



27ie Marls. — Marls are composed of carbonate of lime mixed 

 with clay, sand, loam, and frequently with phosphate and sul- 

 phate of lime and potash, and are valuable as manures in pro- 

 portion to the lime and potash they contain. 



Guano. — This substance is composed of the dung, food, and 

 carcasses of sea-birds which have been accumulating for ages on 

 some of the islands of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Of its 

 value as a manure there can be no doubt. There is much 

 fraud in its sale, however, and if great caution be not exercised, 

 an adulterated article may be jjalmed off upon you. It must 

 never, in a fresh state, come in direct contact with the seeds or 

 roots of plants, as it is certain to destroy their vitality. 



Other Inorganic Manures. — Common salt is valuable in small 

 quantities for garden use. On account of its great affinity for 

 water, it attracts the dews and atmospheric vapors, and is 

 therefore a preventive of drouth. It is also useful in destroy- 

 ing worms, slugs, and larvse. Old plaster, broken bricks, bones, 

 charcoal, soot, and even broken glass, are useful as manures, and 

 should be carefully saved and applied. 



Having said so much of the various manures, we must repeat, 

 in order to impress it upon the reader's mind, that our principal 

 reliance should be upon stable manure (with which we would 

 include that from the pig-sty) and the composts formed of 

 home-made materials, according to directions we are about to 

 give. The special manures most likely to be requhed by soils 

 in general are lime, phosphate of lime, and potash. 



Co7)iposts. — In or near the garden, and in some out-of-sight 

 corner, there should be at all times a compost heap for receiving 

 aU kinds of rubbish that,can have the least value as manure. 



Make a shallow excavation of sufiicient size, and a little 

 lower at one end than at the other, forming A\dth the earth 

 thrown out a small embankment all around it. Into this throw 

 green weeds, the sweepings of the yard, the refuse of vegeta- 

 bles, leaves, decayed vegetable matter of aU kinds, woolen rags, 

 old plaster, charcoal-dnst, soot, soap-suds, brine, slops from the 

 kitchen and chambers, etc. The heap should be dug over occa- 



