MANURES FOE GARDENS AND ORCHARDS. 297 



Half a teaspoonful of the mixture, consisting of equal parts of 

 superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia, stirred into a large three 

 gallon can of water, and sprinkled on to a bed of verbenas, seemed 

 to have a remarkable effect on the size and brilliancy of the flowers. 



Even to this day, although I have a good supply of rich barn- 

 yard-manure, I do not like to be without some good artificial ma- 

 nure for the garden. 



MANURE FOR HOT-BEDS. 



The best manure for hot-beds is horse or sheep-dung that has 

 been used as bedding for pigs. 



When fresh stable-manure is used, great pains should be taken to 

 save all the urine. In other words, you want the horse-dung 

 thoroughly saturated with urine. 



The heat is produced principally from the carbon in the manure 

 aid straw, but you need active nitrogenous matter to start the fire. 

 And the richer the manure is in nitrogenous matter, and the more 

 thoroughly this is distributed through the manure, the more readily 

 will it ferment. There is also another advantage in having rich 

 manure, or manure well saturated with urine. You can make the 

 heap more compact. Poor manure has to be made in a loose Leap, 

 or it will not ferment ; but such manure as we are talking about 

 can be trodden down quite firm, and still ferment rapid enough to 

 give out the necessary heat, and this compact heap will continue 

 to ferment longer and give out a steadier heat, than the loose heap 

 of poor manure. 



MANURE FOR NURSERYMEN. 



Our successful nurserymen purchase large quantities of stable 

 and other manures from the cities, drawing it as fast as it is made, 

 and putting it in piles until wanted. They usually turn the piles 

 once or twice, and often three times. This favors fermentation, 

 greatly reducing it in bulk, and rendering the manure much more 

 soluble and active. It also makes the manure in the heap more 

 uniform in quality. 



Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry tell me that they often ferment the 

 manure that they draw from the stables in the city, and make it so 

 fine and rich, that they get but one load of rotted manure from 

 three loads as drawn from the stables. For some crops, they use 

 at least 20 loads of this rotted manure per acre, and they esti- 

 mate that each load of this rotted manure costs at least $5.00. 



H. E. Hooker places the cost of manure equally high, but seems 

 willing to use all he can get, and does not think we can profitably 

 employ artificial manures as a substitute. 



