24 GARDEN STEPS 



adapted to this end. Kainit may usually be pur- 

 chased from dealers in agricultural supplies ; it 

 comes in large bags at a dollar or so a bag. Before 

 scraping the droppings from the roost, scatter about 

 a quart of kainit with what will make a pail of 

 droppings. When kainit is not available, twice 

 the amount of rock phosphate may be used with 

 good results. 



Poultry droppings should not be exposed to the 

 weather, if their full strength is to be retained. 

 When mixed with the kainit, they should be put into 

 barrels or boxes and covered over. The potash 

 holds the nitrogen in the manure and preserves it 

 in its best state. This dressing is most useful as 

 a stimulater, after the crop is planted, but a Httle 

 may be mixed with the soil at planting time. Put 

 in enough dairy dressing in the fall, if possible, and 

 make the earth light and soft. Then, when the 

 crop is well started, this poultry dressing, quickly 

 available, is a wonderful help to the growing plants, 

 especially where tops are desired. It saves much 

 in the expense of added dairy dressing. 



Where poultry droppings are plenty, and it is 

 not convenient to cover them, they may be piled 

 out doors. Thus exposed to the weather, much of 

 the nitrogen escapes, and they become more nearly 

 balanced as fertilizer. 



Do not use such poultry dressing too freely on 

 spots intended for fine cultivation. It tends to 



