SOIL AND FERTILIZERS 17 



and humus gives the warm, friable condition so neces- 

 sary to successful plant growth. 



In cities it is ofttimes difiScult to secure manure, 

 especially old, well-rotted manure, for the garden, but 

 there are few suburban or country places where it 

 may not be had in abundance. Usually its place can 

 be supplied from the various sources of waste fer- 

 tility on the place. There are very few small town 

 or suburban places in which poultry is not kept by 

 many householders. Now poultry manure is one of 

 the best concentrated fertilizers we have; rich in 

 nitrogen, free from weed-producing seeds and easily 

 stored and handled. If the droppings are removed 

 from the perches daily and stored in barrels, sprin- 

 kling a layer of dry earth over each successive layer, 

 it will be in excellent condition to apply to the ground 

 in the spring. The sweepings from the floors should 

 also be saved for the garden, and being mixed with a 

 considerable proportion of straw or other scratch ma- 

 terial may be consigned to the compost heap, together 

 with all the rakings from the lawn, the refuse from 

 the garden, garbage from the house— anything of a 

 vegetable nature or that will decay without creating 

 an objectionable odor. 



If such a compost heap is arranged in some out of 

 the way corner and kept within bonds by a frame 

 of boards, but open to biddy's activities, it will fur- 

 nish an inexhaustible source of leaf mold or humus, 



