62 



'the dissolution of common salt in the water, used for 

 slaking quick-lime, is a very powerful manure. All 

 saline manures are very energetic. They fail, however, 

 to produce a beneficial effect, if applied in a dry season. 

 The best time is just before or after rain. "Wood, or coal 

 ashes, though hurtful to trees, are useful as a top-dress- 

 ing for grass. Soot is an excellent manure, giving a 

 beautiful dark green color to grass. 



Composts are also no small portion of manurial studies. 



Mould is one of the principal ingredients of a com- 

 post. Its carriage, however, is laborious, and the com- 

 post 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 cart load of lime to twenty-seven 

 loads of turf is mixed, and the mass then becomes 

 greasy. Peat turf and farm-yard dung, with a sprink- 

 ling of lime ; lime and black mould ; rape cake and 

 mould ; broken cake sprinkled on while the earth is 

 turned. There ensues a brisk fermentation ; after that 

 ^as nearly subsided, apply it. To these may be added 

 privy-tributes, pigeons' and fowls' dung, sawdust, and 

 farm-yard dung. 



