VI. 



MANURES. 



E trust that impatient readers will 

 not pass by this chapter with 

 turned-up nose and a sniff of dis- 

 dain, for the subject is an impor- 

 tant, albeit an unpleasant one, to handle. 

 We shall make it short, if not sweet. 



Manure, if new, should never be applied 

 so as to come in contact with the roots, but 

 may be spread on the surface of the earth as 

 a mulch ; this is often done with advantage 

 in the autumn, digging it in in the following 

 spring. Manure which is to be dug in about 

 the plants must be decomposed, and may be 

 advantageously mixed with a compost of 

 good turfy loam and spent hops ; all animal 

 manure is useful for roses, particularly 

 droppings of the cow, pig, and sheep ; these' 

 mixed with a compost as named form the 

 best fertilizers that can be used. Besides 

 these, the cleanings from the poultry house, 

 night soil, soot, bone-dust, and guano will 

 83 



