18 OPERATIONS OF GARDENING. PART I. 



ment at that season of the year must be familiar to most who 

 have resided in that part of India. 



GOATS'-DUNG. This I have often used for a manure ; but not, 

 as it seemed to me, with any marked advantage. It remains a 

 long time hard and undissolved without imparting any fertilizing 

 property to the soil. Sheep's-dung I have not tried, but pro- 

 bably, from its similarity to goats'-dung, the application of it as 

 a manure would be attended with like results. 



PIGEONS'-DUNG. " This," says Dr. Lindley, " approaches 

 nearly to guano in its effects. In Persia, dove-cotes are kept in 

 the midst of the plains for the purpose of securing this valuable 

 dejection. The Persians use it, as the Peruvians use guano, by 

 mixing a small quantity in the soil in which their Melons and 

 other crops are planted. Wherever it has been tried in this 

 country it has been found of the greatest energy. The only 

 danger in using it is, that it may be too strong, and burn. It 

 deteriorates by keeping." 



FOWLS'-DUNG. This, it is stated in the ' Cottage Gardener's 

 Dictionary,' " if composed partly of that of the duck, which is a 

 gross feeder, is nearly equal to guano." 



ELEPHANTS'-DUNG. I have heard this highly commended as 

 a dressing for Artichoke plants. I have applied it, but without 

 discovering it to possess any property of a manure at all. It 

 resembles large dense balls of cocoa-nut fibre, and possibly 

 broken up and worked into the soil it might prove beneficial 

 mechanically, in the way of rendering it lighter. 



NIGHT-SOIL AND PIGS'-DUNG. Whether or not these sub- 

 stances would prove useful as manures for the garden is of little 

 importance, as the customs of the natives, I apprehend, would 

 never admit of their application. Dr. E. Bonavia of Lucknow, 

 however, states that " several years' experience in gardening in 

 this country has taught him that there is no manure equal 

 to night-soil. It produces richness of colour in flowers, and 

 vigour and succulence in vegetables." 



BLOOD. One cold season I applied a large quantity of Jblood 

 and offal procured from the butchers' shambles to the roots of 

 my Grape-vines at Ferozepore. I discovered no advantage 

 whatever in the use of such a manure over that of decayed cow- 

 dung ; while the unforeseen nuisances attending it determined 

 me never to employ it again. 



