43 



Mold is one of the principal ingredients of a compost. Its 

 carriage, however, is laborious, and the compost should be made, 

 consequently, if possible, on the spot where proper soil is to be 

 found. 



Other ingredients, such as sawdust, spent tanner's bark, lime, 

 refuse from the farm, etc., must be used in the compost. In 

 fact, there is not a single refuse article on a farm, but which 

 may be used as an ingredient. 



There are various kinds of composts, viz. : 



Peat, turf, and lime shells. The turf is wheeled to the side 

 of a bog, and left there for some weeks, until all the water drops 

 out. One cartload of lime to twenty-seven loads of turf is 

 mixed, and the mass then becomes greasy. Peat turf and farm- 

 yard dung, with a sprinkling of lime , lime and black mold ; 

 rape cake and mold ; broken cake sprinkled on while the earth 

 is turned. There ensues a brisk fermentation ; after that has 

 nearly subsided, apply it. To these may be added privy- 

 tributes, pigeons' and fowls' dung, sawdust, and farm-yard 

 dung. 



Manure composed of horse-dung is peculiarly beneficial to 

 moist, cold, sterile, clayey soils, the faults of which it corrects, 

 while, at the same time, the soil checks the too violent action 

 of the manure. If placed in the ground before decomposition 

 is completely effected, it produces a very rapid effect, greatly 

 accelerating the growth of plants, through the heat which is 

 developed. The only soils in which manure composed chiefly 

 of horse-dung is at all durable, are those of a moist and tenacious 

 nature. When the dung is to be used by itself, it must be car- 

 ried to soils of this nature as soon as its first stage of fermenta- 

 tion has commenced, and there buried. 



It ameliorates the land by its mechanical action, rendering 

 the soil more loose and light by its continual fermentation and 

 the heat which it engenders. 



Upon the whole, it would seem that the best fertilizer that 

 can be obtained for the park is fresh stable manure (excepting 

 that used for planting trees, which should be well rotted, as too 

 great fermentation or heat would injure the roots), which should 

 be spread while the process of trenching is going on, and thor- 

 oughly incorporated with the soil. It is very essential to divide 

 and scatter the dung well ; there must, therefore, be no lack of 



