INSTEAD OF STABLE MANURE

Evening Star, Issue 22685, 26 June 1937, Page 23

INSTEAD OF STABLE MANURE

With the expansion of large towns, stable and farmyard manure is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in urban areas, hut hop manure is nu excellent substitute. It has the advantage of being entirely free from weed seeds and harmful worms and insects, bat it provides the necessary humus. In preparing the flower garden dig deeply and apply lime (4oz per'square yard), bonemeal (4oz per square' yard), and sulphate of potash (loz per square yard). Mix these substances well with the soil, keeping them well below the surface, and apply the hop manure to the upper portion. Whenever hop manure and lime, are dug into soil they should be kept apart. For vegetable plots trench deeply in winter, and apply hop manure to the lower portion. Fork into the surface 4oz of ground lime per square yard. In light soils add to this 4oz of bone meal per square yard, but into heavy soils put the hop manure and 4oz per square yard of basic slag only. In the case of very heavy soil, dig two spits deep and mix grit and rotted leaves with the soil, bone meal at the rate of 4oz per square yard, and hop manure. A liquid manure can be prepared by placing hop manure and a little soot in a bag and immersing it'in a tank of water for a few hours. When used, this solution should be diluted until the water is only slightly discoloured. This is good for flowers and lawns, peas, beans, and many other plants, but it must be applied only when the-soil is moist. Assuming that vegetable plots have been properly trenched and hop manured, an occasional dressing of nitrate of soda, one ounce per square yard, is good for cabbages, sprouts, and cauliflowers when in full growth, and for onions after they have been thinned.