414 
FAMILIAR LESSONS ON PRACTICAL GARDENING. 
turned over in this way, the manure will be 
ready to put on the ground, as soon as the 
crops are cleared off and dressing and trench- 
ing up commences. The fresh heap will, in 
like manner, go on accumulating for another 
season. Manures should he mixed amongst 
the soil as much as possible in the operation 
of trenching, and not buried altogether at the 
bottom of the trench. . 
LIQUID MANURE. 
In some convenient place a liquid-manure 
tank should be formed. An old hogshead or 
barrel sunk into the ground, with soft clay 
rammed round the sides, answers well ; or 
even a hole dug out will do, if the sides and 
bottom are lined with a layer eight inches or 
a foot thick of clay wrought up like mortar ; 
only if it is not kept always filled the clay will 
be liable to crack if exposed to the sun or air, 
and the liquid would then escape. This tank 
should receive all the slops from the dwelling, 
except it be large quantities of mere water ; 
the chamber-slops and the soap-suds are the 
most important. Into the same tank should 
run whatever drains away from the pig-sty 
or cow-shed, together with any liquid that 
may drain from the manure-heap already 
spoken of. The contents of the tank may 
sometimes be thrown over the manure-heap 
with advantage to the latter. These various 
liquids thus collected are most valuable for 
forcing on the growth of the crops ; but they 
must be applied in a greatly diluted state. 
No positive instructions can be given as to 
how much water should be mixed with the 
liquid from the tank, on account of the varia- 
tion which will occur as to its strength. A 
few experiments should be made until an in- 
sight is obtained into this mode of manuring, 
and the knowledge thus acquired will be an 
unerring guide. It is best to err on the safe 
side ; and this is, to make it weak enough. 
Strong liquid manure poisons instead of nou- 
rishing. In general, a very considerable 
quantity of pure water will be required to 
mix with the liquid from the tank. Colour 
will scarcely be a guide, though, if the manure 
liquid be nearly black, it should be diluted so 
as to do little more than colour the water ; 
probably about six times as much pure water 
as manure liquid will, in most cases, be pro- 
per, that is, if very little pure water has run 
in. The liquid Will, in such a case, be strong, 
and may be diluted with four or six times its 
bulk of water at the time of using it ; but if, 
in consequence of rain, or from other causes, 
a good deal of water has run in, it will be 
weaker, and then may be mixed with about 
twice as much water as manure. It should 
mostly be applied to growing plants, though 
the ground while bare of crops may advan- 
tageously be soaked with the liquid undiluted. 
When applied to growing plants, it is to be 
thus given : Around each plant form a wide 
basin, by drawing up the soil into a ridge 
all round ; this basin should be about as wide 
as the roots may be 
supposed to extend, 
or, practically, say, 
from one to three feet 
across, according to 
the size of the plants ; the basin should slope 
outwards, as the manure is not required close 
around the stem ; in fact, the basin should 
form a broad ring, as it were, around the 
plant, the soil next the stem being undis- 
turbed. Into this a good quantity of the 
diluted liquid should be poured, and when it 
has soaked in, the soil should be levelled in 
again. Plants growing thickly together in 
rows may be manured by opening a space in 
this way on each side the row. If the weather 
be very dry, about two good waterings with 
the diluted manure may be given in a week, 
the soil being opened and replaced in the 
same way at each application. It is better to 
apply the manure much diluted, and to water 
with it only, than to give one watering of 
stronger liquid, and then follow this by one 
or two waterings with pure water. When 
applied, liquid manure should always be clear, 
like porter, for instance, and not turbid or 
like muddy water, which stops up the pores 
of the soil. Liquid manure is particularly 
valuable in producing quick and succulent 
growth in hot, dry weather, when vegetables 
are apt to become tough, in consequence of 
their slow progress. 
WATERING. 
In a vegetable or fruit garden, watering is 
only requisite in hot or parching weather. 
Rain, pond, or river water is the best for all 
plants. Soft water of any kind is suitable, 
but hard water, and especially hard well or 
pump water, is very objectionable. Where it 
is necessarily employed, it should be exposed 
for twenty-four hours, in flat open vessels or 
reservoirs, to the air, and to as much sun as 
can reach it. To the permanent crops water 
should always be applied by opening a kind 
of basin around them, into which enough 
should be poured to saturate the soil com- 
pletely, and serve them for a week or so ; 
after it has soaked in, the soil should be 
lightly replaced and levelled. Beds of small 
plants and seed-beds, which it may be neces- 
sary to water, cannot be so completely soaked, 
and they must consequently be watered oft- 
ener, but even then should be watered as 
thoroughly and as infrequently as they will 
admit. In this case, the w r ater must be ap- 
plied through the rose of a watering-can. In 
