THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



a manure heap; but the method does not ap- 

 peal to me, because such unseasoned material 

 contains constituents which encourage exces- 

 sive growth of stem and leaf, to the detriment 

 of flowers and fruit. Moreover, it does not 

 allow the balancing of different qualities of 

 droppings, which seems very important espe- 

 cially on old, worn-out farms, where supply- 

 ing the material in a condition of disintegra- 

 tion furnishes humus much more quickly than 

 can possibly be the case when the bedding is 

 carted out in a semi-solid condition. In fact, 

 expert agriculturists agree that well-mixed 

 and ripened manure, which has been protected 

 from the elements, is a most desirable and 

 profitable land enricher, and W. H. Beal in- 

 dorses this system in a summary which I quote 

 from a farm bulletin : 



There are sound, scientific reasons for the 

 high esteem in which this manure is held. It 

 requires all the fertilizing elements required 

 by plants, in forms that insure plentiful crops 

 and permanent fertility to the soil. It not 



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