MANURES FOR GARDENS AND ORCHARDS. 295 



The market-gardener, of course, has to take such manure as he 

 can get, and the only points to be considered are (1), whether he 

 had better continue to use an excessive quantity of the manure, or 

 (2), to buy substances rich in available nitrogen, and either mix 

 them with the manure, or apply them separately to the soil, or (3), 

 whether he can use this horse-manure as bedding for pigs to be 

 feel on rich nitrogenous food. 



The latter plan I adopt on my own farm, and in this way I get 

 a very rich and active manure. I get available nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid, and potash, at far cheaper rates than they can be purchased in 

 the best commercial fertilizers. 



Pigs void a large amount of urine, and as pigs are ordinarily 

 kept, much of this liquid is lost for want of sufficient bedding to 

 absorb it. With the market-gardener or nurseryman, who draws 

 large quantities of horse-manure from the city, this need not be 

 the case. The necessary buildings can be constructed at little cost, 

 and the horse-manure can be used freely. The pigs should be fed 

 on food rich in nitrogen, such as bran, malt-combs, brewers' grains, 

 the refuse animal matter from the slaughter-houses or butchers' 

 stores, fish scrap, pea or lentil-meal, palm-nut cake, or such food 

 as will furnish the most nitrogenous food, other things being 

 equal, at the cheapest rate. 



The market -gardener not only requires large quantities of rich 

 manure, but he wants them to act quickly. The nurseryman who 

 sets out a block of trees which will occupy the ground for three, 

 four, or five years, may want a "lasting manure," but such is not 

 the case with the gardener who grows crops which he takes off the 

 land in a few months. As long as he continues to use horse or 

 cow -manure freely, he ne:d not trouble himself to get a slow or 

 lasting manure. His great aim should be to make the manure as 

 active and available as possible. And this is especially the case if 

 he occupies clayey or loamy land. On sandy land the manure will 

 decompose more rapidly and act quicker. 



" There are many facts," said the Doctor, " that show that an 

 artificial application of water is equivalent to an application of 

 manure. It has been shown that market-gardeners find it neces- 

 sary to apply a mach larger amount of plant food to the soil than 

 the crops can take up. This they have to do year after year. And 

 it may well be that, when a supply of water can be had at slight 

 cost, it will be cheaper to irrigate the land, or water the plants, 

 rather than to furnish such an excess of manure, as is now found 

 necessary. Even with ordinary farm-crops, we know that they feel 

 the effects of drouth far less on rich land than on poor land. In 



