Читать книгу Make Your Garden Feed You - E. Brown T. - Страница 32

Manuring, or the provision of plant food, is an absolute necessity in gardening. Without it good results over a period of years are impossible. Farmyard manure, or an efficient substitute, must be incorporated with the soil. These natural substances not only feed the plants but, as they decay, they increase the store of humus (decayed organic material) and humus is the very essence of fertility. It binds the soil together, but at the same time it leaves it porous so that air is freely admitted and water can percolate through it; it warms the soil and it helps it to retain moisture. Farmyard manure (stable, cow, and pig) also contains millions and billions of bacteria, and these play a highly important part by their action of liberating plant food.

When natural manures are available they should be applied at the rate of one barrowload to every ten square yards. Stable manure is better for heavy land, and cow and pig manures for light.

While it is true that horses are being used more at the present time, owing to petrol rationing, the majority of gardeners will find it extremely difficult to obtain supplies of horse manure. The ordinary gardener is faced with a difficulty in this connection, because it means running the place with very little or no natural manure. Humus must, however, be provided, or sooner or later the soil will show definite signs of weakness and the crops will consequently suffer.