338 SYSTEMS OF AfANURING CROPS [chap. 



and in assisting the decay of the organic matter. When 

 manures are necessary it is best to employ slow acting 

 substances like bone meal and castor pomace. 



Garden manures. — In an ordinary way gardens 

 require little artificial fertiliser, since they receive a 

 superabundance of stable manure until the soil often 

 becomes over-rich in nitrogenous residues. Under such 

 C'jnditions the only fertiliser wanted will be some form 

 of phosphatic manure, and this is very desirable to 

 induce a properly balanced growth in the crops. Super- 

 phosphate may be used on the loams, basic slag on the 

 strong soils, steamed bone flour or phosphatic guano 

 when the soil is sand or gravel, and about \ lb. per 

 square yard of one of these fertilisers should be dug 

 in with the farmyard manure on those portions of 

 the ground which come to be dunged in the usual 

 rotation. Nitrate of soda is often valuable to push 

 on early lettuce, cabbage, peas, etc., in a backward 

 spring ; it may also be applied with advantage to 

 asparagus and celery. The compound garden man- 

 ures .sold under fancy prices should be avoided : 

 though good fertilisers enough, their cost is exces- 

 sive, even considering the small parcels in which 

 they are sold. Where stable manure is not available 

 and a mixed fertiliser is required, nothing is better 

 than a good Peruvian guano with 6 or 7 per cent, 

 of nitrogen. In such circumstances the humus of the 

 soil should be maintained by digging in as much organic 

 matter — weeds, grass clippings, vegetable refuse, etc. — 

 as possible, and by growing mustard on any land that is 

 not wanted for a short time, and digging the green crop in. 

 It should not be forgotten that lawns which are con- 

 stantly cut must become greatly impoverished if they 

 are not manured, for which purpose Peruvian guano at 

 the rate of 2 oz. per square yard every other year forms 



