The Soil of the Garden 



Poultry manure is so 

 rich that it ivill injure 

 plants if applied thickly. 

 The hard, rounded balls 

 should be broken up 

 and pulverized. This 

 may be done by spread- 

 ing out the dry mixed, 

 product on a board 

 platform or a walk and 

 breaking up the lumps 

 with strokes of the back 

 of a spade. As a rule 

 the manure should be 

 spaded into the soil just 

 before planting of seed. 



Compost. Well-rotted 

 vegetable matter is 

 called compost. It may 

 be made from manure 

 which is placed in flat- 

 topped piles so as to 

 absorb much rainfall 

 and hasten rotting. If 



FIG. 42. A Long Island picture showing 

 how the soil is "trenched" and humus 

 added. Two" trenches are dug about 3 

 feet apart and then filled with manure and 

 soil in alternate layers. Then another set 

 of two trenches is dug, the first one be- 

 tween the two shown in the picture, and 

 the second just beyond the last trench 

 filled. This process is repeated until the 

 necessary, Water Can be whole garden has been covered. The soil 

 j j i 4. 1 4.1, is improved in three ways by this method : 



added to keep the mass first> humus is added . second) the soil from 



moist If it is fre- below is brought to the surface ; and third, 



the soil is made deeper, giving the roots 



quently forked over and more space for growth. 



kept moist, it will rot 



rapidly without " burning." Layers of sod, dry soil, or 



peat may be added to absorb the liquid materials. 



