ENRICHING THE SOIL FARM RESOURCES 83 



made. There is practically no loss of plant- 

 food from evaporation, and the part which 

 leaches is caught by the soil. Loose or strawy 

 manure which lies too long on the ground, 

 however, may become so dry that it does not 

 quickly decay when plowed under ; if applied 

 very thick, it prevents heavy soils from drying 

 out, and thereby delays spring work. 



36. Other dressings 



123. Muck is often useful as a source 'of 

 Iminus, but it generally contains little directly 

 available plant -food. It is generally improved 

 if dug and allowed to weather some time be- 

 fore it is put on the land. Dry muck is very 

 useful in stables and covered barn -yards to 

 absorb the liquids ; and its value as a dress- 

 ing for the land is thereby increased. 



124. Peat, when decomposed and soil -like, 

 becomes muck. Peat, therefore, is less valuable 

 than muck as a dressing until it has been 

 thoroughly broken up and decomposed by 

 weathering or composting. 



125. Marl is usually not rich 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 materials as sawdust, straw, 



