PREPARATION OE THE MANURE. 73 
has any advantages over plain manure; I use it consid¬ 
erably every year and with good results; at the same 
time, I get as good crops from the plain manure beds. 
But it has many warm friends who are excellent growers. 
In preparing this mixed material I use fresh sod loam 
well chopp d up, and add it to the manure in this way : 
First select the manure and throw it into a heap to fer¬ 
ment, as before explained; then after the first turning 
cover the heap with a layer of this loam about three or 
four inches thick, enough to arrest the steam; at the 
next turning mix this casing of loam with the manure, 
and when the heap is squared off add another coating of 
loam of the same thickness in the same way as before, 
and so on at each turning until the whole mass is fit for 
use, and the full complement of loam, say one-fourth the 
full bulk, has been added. In this way much of the 
ammonia that otherwise would be evaporated from the 
manure is arrested and retained. 
Some growers, when they first shake out their fresh 
manure, add the full complement of loam to it at once 
and mix them together. Others, again, Mr. Denton, of 
Woodhaven, for instance, prepare the manure in the 
ordinary way, and when ready for use add the quota 
of loam. I use good sod loam for two reasons, namely, 
because it is the very best that can be used for the pur¬ 
pose, and, also, after being used in the mushroom beds 
it is a capital material, and in fine condition for use in 
potting soft-wooded plants. But the loam commonly 
used to mix with the manure is ordinary field soil. If 
the loam is ordinarily moist to begin with, and also the 
manure, there is very little likelihood of any of the ma¬ 
terial getting too dry during the preparation. And 
much less preparation is needed, for the presence of the 
loam lessens, considerably, the probability of hasty, vio¬ 
lent fermentation. 
Mr. Withington, of South Amboy, N. J., uses rather a 
stinted amount of loam in his manure. He writes me : 
