MANURES AND MANURING. 13 



of coarse barn-yard manure to the acre, will be astonished 

 when told that market-gardeners use four .times the last- 

 named amount, or more, of well-rotted stable manure, 

 every year. 



In fact, they put on as much as can be conveniently turned 

 under, with the assistance of two men, following the 

 plow and scraping it into the furrows. Of concentrated 

 manures they apply more than double the quantity used 

 for farm crops; of bone-dust one ton, Peruvian guano one 

 half a ton to the acre, and so on. 



This heavy manuring is necessary, as they plant very 

 close, raise two crops a year, and take an immense amount 

 of produce from the land. 



In farm-gardening or seed-growing, where the crop is 

 generally planted wide, and there is an abundance of land 

 to allow of a portion being seeded down at times and al- 

 lowed to rest, one half the above-named quantities of 

 manure will suffice. 



It is always advisable to use stable manure mainly, 

 when it can be obtained, and in following the directions 

 herein given for manuring the various crops, bear in mind 

 that I always have reference to such as is obtained from 

 cities, when speaking of stable-manure. This is nearly 

 free from straw, and, load for load, is worth double such 

 as is usually made in barn-yards, and composed largely of 

 straw, stalks, etc. This city manure is bulky, and when 

 freighted by railroad, as it is to a great extent on Long 

 Island, the first cost is high, but I am fully satisfied that, 

 to a certain extent, it is the cheapest in the end. 



Next to this, pure ground bone, when applied in proper 

 quantity, is preferable. This is very rich in fertilizing 

 properties, and may be used on alternate years with stable 

 manure to good advantage. 



The soil for vegetable-growing requires to be mealy 

 and free from lumps, and it can be kept so by means of 

 the decaying vegetable matter contained in stable-manure. 



