82 CHARCOAL BOTTOMS. 
killed during the winter. Where this method is to 
be practiced, I would advise that the ground, for 
three or four feet around the body of the trees, 
should be mulched with hay, straw or other litter. 
This will prevent the ground from baking and form- 
ing a crust on the surface, besides it will keep the 
surface at an even temperature during the growing 
months. 
MULCHING. 
In any part of the country where charcoal dust, 
from locomotives or old charcoal bottoms, can be 
procured easily, there is no substance that will make 
a better mulch for pear trees. It is a good absorbent, 
darkens the soil, and it will retain ammonia and 
other gases that assist in the healthy growth of all 
plants. We used this article for mulching for many 
years, and only stopped because the source of our 
supply was cut off. 
When the surface of the ground, as far as the 
roots of young trees extend, is covered by a mulch- 
ing of some material, one-half an inch in thickness, 
the effect on the trees is equal to a partial manuring. 
This may readily be accounted for. In the first 
place, the heavy rain does not compact the surface, 
but it gradually filters through the mulch; and 
secondly, the surface soil is moist at all times during 
