92 FLORIDA FRUITS ORANGES. 



of the former will thereby be liberated; neither should 

 lime and stable manure be composted together for the 

 same reason. Land plaster may, however, be freely used 

 with great benefit, especially when applied directly above 

 a layer of either guano or stable manure, as it prevents 

 their ammonia from escaping. 



Where one can afford to purchase bone-meal, making 

 sure that it is genuine, it will pay liberally to apply light 

 layers of it to the compost heap. 



A few years ago the relative value of bone-meal and 

 stable manure was tested with the following results : 



1. One bushel of crushed bone is more than equal to 

 twenty-five bushels of good farm-yard manure. 



2. That bone-meal is more permanent in its effects than 

 any putrescent manure usually produced on a farm. 



3. That its effects on good land are more manifest than 

 on inferior. 



4. That when combined with putrescent manure or com- 

 posted, the effect, both instant and remote, far exceeds that 

 of any manure known. 



About twenty years ago a Mr. Bonner, of the State of 

 New York, patented a process of quickly rotting manure 

 which was tested with great success, the manure being 

 ready for use in fifteen days. The patent expired long 

 ago, but the process has only lately been made public, and 

 is now open to all and should be generally adopted, as the 

 expense is very trifling and the labor of handling no 

 greater than that of any other compost. 



At the foot of the pen should be a vat or hogshead, 

 partly sunk in the ground for convenience' sake, of a ca- 

 pacity of six or seven barrels. Into this vat all the soap- 

 suds, house slop, drainage from the barn-yard, etc., are to 

 be poured. If it takes too long to half fill the vat in this 

 manner, fill in with water ; or, better still, with liquid ma- 



