n 
March, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
223 
matter. The great value of humus, which 
for a while puzzled the agricultural 
chemist, frequently lies as much in the 
physical effect which it produces in the 
soil, keeping it friable and enabling it to 
absorb and retain moisture, as in the 
actual plant food which it adds. This is 
one of the reasons, for instance, why the 
ton of manure mentioned above produced 
greater results than a bag or two of 
chemicals containing the same amount of 
plant food. 
It was also discovered as experiments 
continued to be carried on, that certain 
crops, as clover, would sometimes show 
upon analysis more nitrogen than could 
be accounted for by the supply in the soil. 
Where, then, did it come from? After a 
good deal of speculation it was discovered 
that this extra nitrogen was furnished to 
the plant through the agency of colonies 
of micro-organisms which took up their 
abode in the plants’ roots. And as nitrogen 
is the most expensive of the plant food 
elements, this was evidently a valuable 
fact to learn. The theory of soil inocula¬ 
tion for various crops which has been 
written about and advertised extensively 
during recent years, is based upon the idea 
of supplying these little nitrogen-gather¬ 
ing “bugs” of various species to soil 
where they do not already exist, thus mak¬ 
ing it possible to grow thereon bigger 
crops of peas, beans, clover, alfalfa and 
other things which come within the lucky 
group. 
So much for the general principle of 
how plants feed and how they may be fed 
—and it is essential that one should have 
some knowledge of these things in order 
to deal intelligently with the problems 
which even the smallest of gardens offers. 
The question of more intimate interest 
is, of course, what can yon do to make 
your own garden rich? This problem 
naturally assumes the double aspect of 
how to add humus and the proper plant 
food to the soil, and how best to prepare 
it for the plant crops that are to be planted 
in it. 
The products of the home garden, 
practically speaking, are disposed of at 
retail prices, for a penny saved is a penny 
earned. And as they can all be used, if 
proper care is exercised in planning the 
proportions of space for the various plant¬ 
ings—any additional price in buying 
manure or fertilizers in small amounts is 
more than counterbalanced, so that the 
home gardener, as a matter of fact, has 
a wider margin out of which to pay for 
his added plant food than has the com¬ 
mercial grower. First of all endeavor to 
secure a supply of manure. As manure 
varies so as to be worth from practically 
nothing to six or seven dollars a cord (de¬ 
livered), you should be careful to get it 
only from someone upon whom you can 
rely. It should be well rotted and have 
been kept under cover. Furthermore you 
should see that it has not been burned out 
or “fire-fanged” from becoming super¬ 
heated, in which case it will have in spots 
( Continued on page 226) 
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The culture of Gladioli is a simple one: 
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