28 TRUCK-FARMING AT THE SOUTH. 



city, whose large pile daily receives considerable acces- 

 sions, may resort to packing it so tightly as to limit the 

 access of air, and consequently the rapidity of fermenta- 

 tion, until near planting time, or, if possible and bet- 

 ter still, he may keep it too moist for rapid decay by 

 adding night-soil from the city, which will at the same 

 time improve its quality. 



Gardeners near cities who accumulate a large stock of 

 stable manure, do not generally place it under shelter, 

 notwithstanding the accruing loss, but deposit it in 

 suitable quantities for each field in a single pile, upon 

 the headland convenient for use, and compact it by mere- 

 ly driving across the pile at each delivery. Never more 

 than four hundred wagon loads are deposited in a pile. 

 If, when finished, the heaps were covered completely with 

 soil to the thickness of two or three inches, the escaping 

 ammonia would be absorbed and fermentation retarded. 

 It must be borne in mind, that even in winter we must 

 limit the process of fermentation, and not encourage it, 

 as is sometimes necessary in the Northern States; and 

 we must also avoid leaching. 



The fermentation of stable manure may be retarded 

 by the admixture of substances not liable to rapid fer- 

 mentation. The gardener in the country may resort to 

 composting it with muck, woods-earth, or even good 

 garden soil, dry and pulverized salt-mud, or the same 

 material in the shape of a soft mush in order to avoid 

 getting it in the form of large lumps into his manure, 

 and may also use green marsh-grass (Spar Una strict a), if 

 he be located on "the salts." Vegetable refuse of every 

 kind, with leaves from the woods, slops from the kitchen 

 and wash-house, with the dung of those domestic animals 

 which does not readily heat, as that of neat cattle and 

 swine, in short, everything available that will supply 

 plant food may be added to the heap. The dung of all 

 kinds of poultry, the urine and night-soil of the farm, 



