'^ BRAINS AND MORE BRAINS 69 



gather their own nitrogen from the air) ; a bag 

 of the phosphatic and safe bone meal for corn 

 and most other crops, as well as for bulbs and 

 perennials in particular. And you certainly, 

 if you are wise, will have a large bag of pulver- 

 ized sheep manure, which comes nearer than 

 anything to atoning for the dropping out of the 

 stable manure. Unlike many of the chemical 

 fertilizers when used ignorantly, it does not bum 

 tender roots or sprouting seeds or leaves. It 

 certainly is, as James Vick claims, "the best 

 fertilizer for the lawn, garden, greenhouse, and 

 conservatory." 



A friend of mine who lives near Philadelphia 

 told me the other day that his soil is so hard 

 that in some places he has to use chisel and 

 hammer on it, and he wasn't joking. That soil 

 needs, above all things, humus, humus, and 

 more humus. Humus is also what light, sandy 

 soil needs most, of all things, for sandy soil 

 easily dries out under the hot sun and there is 

 nothing like humus for retaining moisture, 

 which it holds ''like a sponge." 



You want to know, I feel pretty sure, just 

 what humus is. I don't blame you for not 

 knowing; dictionaries used by millions do not 

 include the word. But I have before me a 

 book. The American Educator (invaluable to 

 parents who wish to help to enlighten their 

 children), which explains the word so tersely 

 that I will cite its definition: 



