88 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



less tliis material is present in the soil. It is of still more 

 importance for potting plants in the greenhouse. For the 

 kitchen and fruit garden it is best composted like swamp 

 muck with fresh animal manure. 



Another material abounding in carbon which may, to 

 some extent, be used as an absorbent of animal manure is 

 tanbark. It may be beneficially applied directly to straw- 

 berries, to which it answers the double purpose of mul- 

 ching and manure. But the crowns of the plants must 

 not be covered ; for all purposes it should be obtained as 

 much decomposed as possible. 



Tan may be applied directly to Irish potatoes when 

 ready to cover in the furrow. After they are dropped fill 

 the furrow even with the surface with tan, and finish by 

 covering this with earth. A little of the lime and salt 

 mixture is applied with the tan to great advantage. It 

 improves the yield materially and the quality also, as all 

 carbonaceous matters do. Where swamp muck or leaf 

 mould can be obtained, it is hardly worth while to use 

 tan as an absorbent of animal manures. It is very diffi- 

 cult to reduce, but if kept moist the lime and salt mixture 

 will do it. It may be strewed in the stock yard six or eight 

 inches thick, and sprinkled pretty thickly with the mix- 

 ture. The treading of the stock will mix it. Let the 

 whole be turned over in a moist state once or twice, and 

 in the course of the winter it will become a valuable ap- 

 plication to the plants that do well with fresh manure. 

 There are abundant elements of fertility in tan but it is 

 more difficult to render them available than with any other 

 vegetable substance ; perhaps the readiest and most profit- 

 able method is to char it. Decayed chips, sawdust, 

 shavings, &c., are best applied to Irish potatoes, as directed 

 in the case of tanbark. They should be covered with soil 

 to promote a more speedy decay. 



