50 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



.as a fertiliser ? I am afraid they do not. They know that it has 

 its uses as a deterrent to the ravages of slugs, but one too rarely 

 sees them using it as a manure. It should be applied to the roots 

 of plants of all kinds in a liquid form, and the method of preparing 

 it is as follows : Obtain a small bag a discarded flour-bag or 

 a dog-biscuit bag will serve the purpose fill it with soot that has 

 been kept for three or four months, and allow it to hang suspended 

 in a pail of water, from a stick fixed across the top of the bucket. 

 Let it hang for a few days, and when it is required for use squeeze 

 the bag until the water assumes a light brownish hue. The 

 liquid may then be applied to the plants with beneficial results. 

 Fill the pail again, and suspend the bag of soot in the water, so 

 as to be ready for use on another occasion. The process may 

 be repeated several times before it will be necessary to refill the 



In its dry state soot may be scattered freely on a windless day 

 with beneficial effects on the onion plot. Not only will it act as a 

 fertiliser but it will prove most effectual in warding off that 

 dreaded pest the onion fly. If after sowing such root-crops as 

 carrots, parsnips and beetroot the surface of the soil be dusted 

 with soot, the crops will benefit considerably. But a word of 

 warning is necessary. New soot contains a great amount of heat, 

 and if applied too soon after it has been collected from chimneys 

 and flues its caustic properties are likely to prove more harmful 

 than beneficial. The only safe plan, therefore, is to place it in 

 a box or a sack and keep it in a dry place for a fortnight before 

 attempting to use it. This precaution applies whether the soot 

 be used in a dry state or in its liquid form. 



As with soot, so with lime : its properties as a protection against 

 insect pests are generally recognised ; but too little regard is paid 

 to its manurial qualities. In reality lime is absolutely essential 

 to the life, health, and vigour of the vast majority of plants. Its 

 function is to correct the acidity in soils that are too rich in 

 humus, and in addition it assists materially in reducing clay and 

 heavy soils to a friable condition, so that they are more easily 

 worked. Lime is especially valuable in the case of soils that 



