INORGANIC MANURES. 



83 



Having considered the modes in "wliicli manures act 

 upon the growth of plants, a still more important inquiry 

 remains, viz. : What manures can we obtain and render 

 available. The scarcity of manures at the South is a great 

 difficulty in gardening. But a small amount of live stock 

 is kept by our planters in proportion to the number of 

 acres in cultivation. What is thus obtainable is not well 

 husbanded, and is needed on the plantation for corn and 

 cotton. Still, on most country places, enough is wasted to 

 supply not only the garden, but to leave a surplus for the 

 plantation. In town, wherever a horse and cow can be kept, 

 enough can be made for a large garden, while even a pig if 

 kept at work in his pen with the aid of soap-suds from the 

 house, will convert some fifteen loads of weeds, yard sweep- 

 ings, chips, tanbark, and leaves, into a valuable manure. 



Of Saline Manures, the most available are ashes leached 

 and unleached, which should be most carefully saved, as 

 potash is one of the elements most speedily exhausted 

 from the soil. They contain besides potash, phosphoric 

 and sulphuric acids, manganese, chlorine, soda, magnesia, 

 carbonate of lime, and soluble silica. They may be 

 applied directly to any crops and especially to fruit trees. 

 Composted with swamp, earth, and other vegetable mat- 

 ter, they correct its acidity, and form an excellent manure 

 for all crops, and in connection with lime form the best 

 compost for orchard purposes. 



Lime may be applied in this compost for trees, but for 

 all garden crops, the lime and salt mixture affords a suffi- 

 ciency for the growing crops. Shell lime is the best to 

 employ, as it contains some phospate of lime which is still 

 more valuable. If lime is used alone, mix it intimately 

 with the surface soil, but do not plough or spade it in. Its 

 effect in improving the texture of soils, we have already 

 considered. 



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