48 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



to compost it with putrescent animal matters, urine or 

 night soil, of which it will absorb all the odor and fertil- 

 izing gases given off during their decomposition. Com- 

 posted with the last named substance, it becomes pou- 

 drette, and is second only to guano as a fertilizer. 



In striking cuttings or potting plants, fine charcoal is a 

 valuable substitute for sand, plants rooting in it with great 

 certainty. Plants will flourish in powdered charcoal alone 

 with considerable vigor, and, added to the other materials 

 used in potting, it is found greatly to promote healthy 

 growth in most plants. 



Fine charcoal can be obtained in considerable quantities 

 from the old hearths where it has been burned ; also from 

 the refuse of smith's shops, founderies, and machine shops. 

 All the refuse of the garden that will not decay, pea-brush, 

 trimmings of trees, cabbage and corn stalks, together with 

 tan-bark, saw-dust, and fresh shavings, may be collected, the 

 coarser materials placed at the bottom and set on fire when 

 the heap is building; then covered with the finer, beating 

 all well together, cover it well with short, moist rubbish, 

 weeds and clods. Bermuda grass turf is the best mate- 

 rial for this purpose if you are troubled with it, and it is 

 better if it has been obtained from a clayey loam. After 

 the heap is well on fire, clayey turf, together with the clay 

 of the soil, may be added to the top, and a large quantity 

 of the charcoal mixed with burnt clay is thus prepared. 

 At first there is great difficulty to keep the piles on fire, 

 and strict attention is required. Thrust a stake in differ- 

 ent places, that the fire may run through the entire heap, 

 and if it breaks out in any of these, stop them anew with 

 rubbish and brush, cover with earth, and make holes in a 

 new place. When the smoke subsides, the heap is char- 

 red enough. When finished and the fire put out, store it 

 up for use. The mixture thus prepared has been found 

 beneficial in every instance, and is a most valuable ma- 

 nure, especially for roses, producing invariably an abun- 



