FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION 47 



fresh stone lime, slack it with water until it becomes 

 a dry powder, then broadcast it in fall or early spring 

 and work it into the soil. The quantity to apply per 

 acre varies from twenty to forty or more bushels. 

 Farmers' Bulletin No. 77, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C, explains this matter fully. 

 Better get a copy. Harriet has mine safely filed away 

 in the desk in my room, and I shouldn't like to 

 spare it. 



Composts. — For flower pots, small gardens, hot- 

 beds, coidframes, window gardens, etc., a well-made 

 compost is very useful. It is simply a mixture of 

 ordinary soil with well-rotted sods, stable manure, 

 leaves, or any other available vegetable matter. Pile 

 the various ingredients in a long, low pile outdoors 

 and fork it over several times at intervals, thus fining 

 and mixing all thoroughly together and hastening 

 decomposition. A little freshly-slaked lime added 

 to the mass is an advantage. The pile may be 

 started in the fall, or whenever desired, and should 

 be ready for use in six months or a year (according 

 to materials used). Some gardeners put potato and 

 tomato vines, etc., on the compost pile — any waste 

 stuff, in fact — but if there are any blights or fun- 

 gous diseases in the garden, 'twould be safer to burn 

 such vine and plant refuse than to use it in a com- 

 post and thus spread the trouble. 



Cultivation. — The offices of tillage are several. 

 Among the more important ones are : 



1. The setting free of plant food by increasing 

 the chemical activities in the soil. 



2. The soil is made finer and hence presents 

 greater surfaces to the roots, thus increasing the area 

 from which the roots can absorb nutriment. 



3. The surface of the soil is kept in such condi- 



