254 FRUIT AND ITS CULTIVATION. 



the encouragement of bacteria and maintaining it in a 

 friable condition ; also providing a proportion of the three 

 main elements of food. It is not desirable that they 

 should be mixed too freely with the soil before planting, 

 but they can be used as a mulch to established trees in 

 autumn. The surface soil to a depth of 3in., and a cir- 

 cumference equal to the spread of the branches, should 

 be removed in autumn, 3in. of well-rotted manure added, 

 and this be covered with soil. This dressing should be 

 applied only to trees in good health and bearing freely. 

 Poultry and pigeon dung may be applied in a similar way 

 at the rate of lib. per square yard. Liquid manures from 

 dung heaps or stables. also contain the three elements, 

 and may advantageously be applied in a diluted state to 

 trees in winter or summer that are in a fruitful condition. 

 So, too, may cesspool contents. Night-soil is also a rich 

 manure. It should be mixed with equal parts of soil, and 

 have a little sulphate of lime added as a deodoriser ; then 

 be stored in a heap till winter, and afterwards applied as 

 advised for stable manure. 



Artificial Manures. Those that supply nitrogen, and 

 are best applied in summer, when the trees can take im- 

 mediate advantage of it, are nitrate of ammonia, nitrate 

 of soda, nitrate of lime, nitrate of potash, sulphate of 

 ammonia, soot, nitrolim, and dried blood. Those that sup- 

 ply phosphates and nitrogen are guanos, fish guano, bones, 

 and dissolved bones; phosphates only bone-ash, bone- 

 black, mineral phosphates, superphosphate of lime, bone- 

 meal, and basic slag. Those, again, which supply potash 

 are sulphate, muriate, and carbonate of potash, kainit, 

 and wood-ashes. 



How to Use Nitrogenous Manures. Nitrate of am- 

 monia is a suitable manure to apply in a liquid form to 

 trees with pale foliage. Use at the rate of oz. per gal- 

 lon of water about twice a week in summer. 



Nitrate of soda use at the rate of roz. per square yard 

 to trees that have set their fruit, and afterwards at inter- 



