44 FRUIT CULTURE. 



that frequent turnings will prevent excessive 

 heating, and will reduce the manure to a fine, 

 rotten condition. But every turning gives a 

 fresh opportunity for the air to penetrate and 

 the ammonia to escape, until so little is left 

 that fermentation ceases. A much better way 

 is to compost the stable manure with an equal 

 or a double amount of loam. This amount of 

 loam will absorb the gases, and there will be 

 little loss. The compost can be used freely 

 without danger of injury, but a great deal of 

 labor is involved in collecting, manipulating, 

 and applying the compost. Yet the increased 

 value of the compost will amply repay all 

 the cost in preparation. Results have clearly 

 demonstrated the economy in composting. In 

 making application of fertilizers it is to be 

 remembered that the roots are not confined 

 to a narrow circle around the trunk. Most of 

 the feeding roots are roaming at a distance in 

 search of nourishment. The height and size 

 of the top will indicate in some degree how 

 far the fertilizers should be spread. 



Commercial fertilizers, so-called, embrace all 

 the various chemical elements and compounds 

 of the market, including wood ashes, in dis- 

 tinction from stable manure, and its combina- 

 tions with organic matter. In theory it would 

 seem that the specific food of plants can be 



