COMPOST. 11 



nure, but it should be distributed evenly throughout 

 the entire mass. 



By the proper use of fresh manure, a compost may 

 be prepared that will be ready for use in four or five 

 weeks. 



If any one wishes to compost material rapidly, the 

 following general directions will be found of service. 

 Have on hand about four barrels of concentrated 

 manure, such as pure hen manure, cow manure, horse 

 manure, or night soil ; about five bushels of land 

 plaster. This will be found to be enough to decom- 

 pose a ton of dry and about eight tons of green matter. 

 Place about six inches of muck on the bottom of the 

 compost shed and wet it down thoroughly. Then put 

 in a layer of six or eight inches of material to be de- 

 composed ; then add a thin layer of concentrated 

 manure ; then put another layer of rough matter, and 

 follow with a layer of concentrated material, and so 

 on till the required amount of material has been used. 

 The body of the material should be made completely 

 wet ; if this is not done it is liable to " burn" and lose 

 one of the important elements of plant food nitrogen. 

 Finally, mix the laud plaster with enoagh fresh earth 

 or thoroughly decomposed muck to cover the whole 

 about eight inches thick. The muck in the bottom 

 will catch any surplus moisture and sive a waste of 

 soluble fertilizer. The concentrated manure furnishes 

 the germs that set up decay, the water distributes 

 these germs and gives them a necessary moisture, 

 while the land plaster arrests any escaping gases and 

 holds them in an available form. Land plaster may 

 be added to each layer of the compost to take up 

 any gas as it is formed. The time required for 

 decomposition depends very largely on the amount 

 of concentrated material used and the completeness 



