D. M. FERRY & GO'S 



tact with seeds or the roots of plants, as it is sure to destroy their vitality. A 

 thick coat of hog-pen or barn-yard manure, spread on a garden and turned in 

 every spring, will enrich, warm and lighten the ground more and better than any 

 application of other manures. The principal animal manures, are those of the 

 horse, the hog, the cow and the sheep. Of these, the horse manure is the most 

 valuable in its fresh state, but it should be exposed as little as possible, as it 

 begins to heat and lose its nitrogen immediately, as may be perceived by the 

 smell ; mix it with other manures, and cover it with absorbents as soon as pos- 

 sible. That of the hog comes next in value, while the cow is at the bottom of 

 the list. The richer the food given to animals, the more powerful is the manure. 

 If animal manures are employed in a fresh state, they should be well mixed with 

 soil, and given to coarse feeding crops, such as Corn and the Garden Pea. But 

 nearly all plants do better if the manure is composted, and fully fermented* 

 before use. Bone Dust mixed with ashes or pulverized charcoal, and sown, 

 broadcast over the ground at the rate of three bushels per acre, is very benefi- 

 cial, and the most valuable for Turnips, Cabbages, etc., and the quantity needed 

 for an acre is so small, that the expense is less than almost any other application. 

 Common salt, at the rate of six bushels per acre, sowed in the spring, on lands 

 distant from the sea shore, not only promotes fertility, but is vciy useful in. 

 destroying worms and slugs. !Marl, where it can be obtained, may be applied, 

 v.-ith advantage, especially to sandy soils. Soot is excellent to drive off insects 

 and vennin. Very little of this can be obtained, but it should be carefully pre- 

 served and applied in small quantities to Cabbages, Turnips, Cucumbers, Melons, 

 Squashes, and all plants infected ^^■ith insects. Charcoal renders the soil Hght 

 and friable, and gives it a dark color and additional v.arr^'h for early crops. 

 "When composted ^Wth night soil, it becomes pondrettc, and is second only to 

 guano as a fertilizer. Leaves, straw, and rubbish, thrown together, and moist- 

 ened ■\\4th a mixture of lime and salt, if kept damp until decomposed, forms the 

 best known manure for trees and shrubs. Swamp muck, mixed with salt, lime 

 or leached ashes, is of value where it can be obtained, but of still more value is 

 the leaf mold, or black surface soil of the woods. For the vegetable garden, it 

 is best composted \y\xh. fresh animal manure, but can be applied directly to most 

 plants in the flower garden, many of which will not flourish unless this material 

 is present in the soil. 



Tanbark, decayed chips, sawdust and shavings, covered with soil, are of 

 great advantage to Potatoes. Wood ashes, leached or unleached, may be used 

 with decided benefit as a top-dressing to most growing vegetables, especially 

 Onions and Turnips. Plaster sown upon the growing crop is good for Turnips, 

 Cabbages, Beans, Cucumbers Squashes, Melons, and all broad-leaved plants. 



