MANURING THE SOIL

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 138, 7 March 1941, Page 12

MANURING THE SOIL

Treat Heavy Land Now Farmyard manure, decaying garden rubbish, and other humus-forming material, may be applied to heavy land in the autumn, for not only will it enrich the soil, but it wiU also have an opening effect on it, thus facilitating drainage and aeration. If the ground is being trenched the manure should be placed beneath the top spit For ordinary digging it may be spread on the surface and turned in as digging proceeds. Early spring is the best time to manure light, sandy soils, for if applied in the autumn much of its goodness may be washed down out of reach of thie plants’ roots by the winter rains.

Land that was previously grassland should, if possible, be trenched two spits deep, the turves being placed grass side downward beneath, the top spit. This type of land generally contains an abundance of soil pests, particularly ' wireworms and leather jackets, the larvae of the daddy-long-Watch must be kept for these and as manv destroyed as possible. Liming will help to destroy these pests, and a dressing of horticultural naphthaline dug in at 4 ounces to the square yard, will help to get rid of them.