GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF ORCHARDS. 169 



around fruit-trees than a pound of Peruvian guano. After 

 a box of hard soap, or a barrel of soft soap, has been dis- 

 solved in the wash-bowl or wash-tub, its manurial value 

 still remains in the water; and the fertilizing material is 

 in a far better condition to feed growing plants and fruit- 

 trees than before the soap was dissolved. Every barrel of 

 good soap is worth from five to six dollars to spread 

 around grape-vines or fruit-trees of any kind, as soap is the 

 choicest quality of fertilizing material for bearing trees, 

 and even for flower-beds. The more we can apply, the 

 more productive the trees and the soil will be. 



The great practical point, then, will be how to save it. 

 In our own kitchen a garbage-pail is provided, into which 

 egg-shells, apple-peelings, fragments of beef, mutton, fish- 

 bones, and every thing of this character, is thrown; and 

 as often as the pail is half filled, the contents are buried 

 around our trees or grape-vines. The soap-suds are all car 

 ried into the yard, when the sun does not shine, and poured 

 around trees, vines, flowers, or vegetables. It would be an 

 excellent practice to provide a large tierce, molasses-hogs- 

 head, or water-tight box, place it on a stone-boat, like Fig. 

 69, or on a pair of Fig. 69. 



low runners, and let 

 it stand in a hollow 

 a few rods from the 

 kitchen, where it could 

 receive all the dish-wa- 

 ter and soap-suds. As 

 soon as it is full, let a '/ ^- M ^ x > >-..XM, v.^n >,, / 



team be hitched to the A liquid fertilizer apparatus. 



sled, and the whole drawn to the fruit-yard, or to a lawn, 

 where the contents could be let out on the ground in a few 

 minutes by opening a valve, or withdrawing a large plug 

 near the lower side. Whoever will practise this mode of 



8 



