GROUND FOR A GARDEN. 133 



sods, and muck sweetened and pulverized by 

 the action of frost, are all excellent. Horse 

 manure mixed with these ingredients is tar bet- 

 ter than if used alone. In either case, the fer- 

 tilizer should be thoroughly rotted, so that the 

 plants can use it at once. This result can be se- 

 cured by preparing the manure one year for the 

 next. The heap should be cut down and turned 

 two or three times during the season, and if the 

 pile consists only of stable manure, much oftener 

 to prevent its heating and burning, and if pos- 

 sible, the process should be carried forward 

 under shelter from the sun and rain. Thus the 

 mass becomes well decayed, pulverized, and with 

 no heating properties, and so can be directly 

 applied in the hill or row with the seed or 

 around the plant. In this way you outgeneral 

 the leachy soil, for the manure concentrated 

 immediately around the plant so stimulates it 

 that its growth is made, and the crop secured 



