PRACTICAL GARDENING 



have been bedded with straw, is good to apply 

 in the fall, plowed into the soil, with the ridged 

 furrows left for the elements to work on. 

 Well decayed manure may be applied to the 

 same soil, from a thin scattering to two inches 

 over the surface, and worked into the first 

 four inches with the digging fork or disk har- 

 row. The young seedlings come in direct con- 

 tact with this source of plant food at the be- 

 ginning of their growth, which is very impor- 

 tant especially with early crops. 



Horse manure is loose in texture and one of 

 the best manures for the vegetable and fruit 

 garden, providing straw has been used for bed- 

 ding. Manure mixed with shavings is objec- 

 tionable. It is slow to decompose and in some 

 cases the turpentine and resin in the chips of 

 wood have a decidedly bad effect on the soil. 

 Horse manure mixed with bone meal, dried 

 blood or tankage is made more valuable as a 

 lasting supply of plant food. 



If the manure from young horses, fed oats 

 and bedded in straw, is kept moist and applied 



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