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CHAPTER XL 
MANURING THE SOIL AND MAKING HOTBEDS* 
Most persons imagine that manure is all 
that is wanted to make a garden fruitful; 
and thus., if the fruit-trees do not bear, and 
the flowers and vegetables do not thrive, 
manure is considered the universal panacea. 
Now, the fact is, that so far from this being 
the case, most small gardens have been ma¬ 
nured a great deal too much; and in many, 
the surface soil, instead of consisting of rich 
friable mould, only presents a soft black 
shining substance, which is the humic acid 
from the manure saturated with stagnant 
water. No appearance is more common in 
the gardens of street-houses than this, from 
these gardens being originally ill drained. 
