70 GARDENING WITH BRAINS "^ 



Humus — vegetable matter in a state of decomposi- 

 tion. Humus is rich in nitrogen, the material out of 

 which the gluten in grains is produced, and it helps to 

 conserve moisture in the soil and also improves its tex- 

 ture. Air space in the earth increases with the amount 

 of humus. It may be added to the soil by the plowing 

 under of green crops and by the application of barnyard 

 manure. 



' Excellent so far as it goes; but the writer 

 left out two very important sources of humus — 

 leaf mold and vegetable refuse in the garden 

 which is piled into a compost heap and allowed 

 to rot. This should not include such things as 

 potato and pea vines, which may harbor disease 

 germs. These should be burned. The leaf 

 mold is to be found several inches — sometimes 

 many feet — deep in boggy places shaded by trees. 

 If you have no bog you surely have a dozen or 

 more trees which in autumn shed their millions 

 of leaves. Rake these into a pile, wet it, tread 

 it down hard, put some turf over it, or dirt to 

 keep the leaves from blowing away, and the 

 following year you will have a pile of leaf mold 

 that will make a manure richer than any other 

 in humus. Mix it with the soil so it will be 

 under the seeds you sow. 



GREEN MANURING 



For small gardens leaf mold and compost 

 heaps are the best sources of the necessary 

 humus. For gardens large enough to be plowed, 

 green manuring is the manuring of the future 



