ENRICHING THK SOIL — lAKM KKSorKf'KS 83 



made. There is practically no loss of jtlant- 

 food from ova])oratiou, and the part wliich 

 loaches is cau«j:ht by the soil. Loose or strawy 

 manure which lies too long on the ground, 

 however, may l)e<'om(» so <lry that it does not 

 quickly decay when plowe<l under ; if ai>plied 

 very thick, it prevents heavy soils from drying 

 out, and there! )y delays spring work. 



3i. Other tlressitujs 



\2'.\. Muck is often useful as a source of 

 humus, hut it generally contains little directly 

 availahle plant-food. It is generally imjtroved 

 if dug and allowed to weather some time })e- 

 fore it is j)ut on the land. Dry muck is very 

 useful in stahh's and covered harn-yaids to 

 absorb the licjuids ; and its value as a dress- 

 m^ for the land is thereby increased. 



124. Peat, when decomposed and soil -like, 

 becomes muck. Peat, therefore, is less valuable 

 than muck as a <lressing until it has been 

 thoroughly broken up ami tlecompose<l by 

 weathering or composting. 



125. Marl is usually not rii-h in available 

 plant-food, but, like muck, it may be valuable 

 to improve the physical condition of the soil. 

 But only in exceptional cases is it worth haul- 

 ing great distances. 



126. Such matcriaLs as sawdust, straw, 



