60 GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



from the refuse of smiths* shops, founderies, and machine 

 shops. All the refuse of the garden that will not decay, 

 pea-brush, trimmings of trees, cabbage and corn-stalks, 

 together with tan-bark, sawdust, and fresh shavings, 

 may be collected, the coarser materials placed at the bot- 

 tom and set on fire when the heap is building, then 

 covered with the finer. After beating all well together, it 

 should be covered well with short, moist rubbish, weeds 

 and (dods. Bermuda grass turf is the best material for 

 this purpose if you are troubled with it, and it is better if 

 it has been obtained from a clayey loam. After the heap 

 is well on fire, clayey turf, together with the clay of the 

 soil, may be added to the top, and a large quantity of the 

 charcoal mixed with burnt clay is thus prepared. At first 

 there is great difficulty in keeping the piles on fire, and 

 strict attention is required. Thrust a stake in different 

 places, that the fire may run through the entire heap, and 

 if it breaks out in any of these, stop them anew with rub- 

 bish and brush, cover with earth, and make holes in new 

 places. When the smoke subsides the heap is charred 

 enough. When finished and the fire put out store it up for 

 use. The mixture thus prepared has been found beneficial 

 in every instance, and is a most valuable manure, espe- 

 cially for roses, producing invariably an abundance of 

 fibrous roots, clean, healthy, vigorous growth, and luxu- 

 riant blooms. {Paul.) 



Besides charcoal, there are many other vegetable sub 

 stance's of great value as absorbents of the fertilizing 

 salts and gases that would otherwise escape from animal 

 manures. Carbonaceous matter of every sort should be 

 provided for this purpose. Gather the leaves of trees of 

 all kinds, including pine straw. They contain many sub- 

 stances necessary for the growth of the plants from which 

 they fall, or available to other plants. Throw them into 

 the stables and yards, moisten them and sprinkle them 



