28 GARDEN STEPS 



Wood Ashes 



When cleaning out fireplaces or stoves where 

 wood has been burned, put the ashes away care- 

 fully in a barrel. Wood ashes, if pure, are rich in 

 potash, and offer it in a form immediately available 

 to plants. Lime is also present, and an application 

 of wood ashes on lumpy, hard ground has a very 

 beneficial effect. This fertilizer is especially im- 

 portant with peas and beans. A few wood ashes, 

 scattered along the rows, or in the hills with beans, 

 are of great value. Keep them dry till they are 

 used, as much of their value is lost if they are ex- 

 posed to the weather. 



Humus 



Humus is decaying animal and vegetable matter 

 in the earth. It comes from the weeds and plants 

 left in the ground, from leaves, and roots, and sim- 

 ilar sources. In a natural state, plants grow and 

 die in the same spot. The seeds fall about them 

 and are nourished by the humus of the decaying 

 plant. In this way the growth may continue year 

 after year. 



In the garden, however, plants are not left to die. 

 They are carried away and used elsewhere. If 

 this plan is continued long, there will in most cases 

 be little or no vegetable matter left available to the 

 plant, in the soil. When this happens, crops will be 



