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Value Of Sods

Value Of Sods image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
August
Year
1874
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Il' farmer?, gardeners and truit-growers fully appreciated the value of soda as a t'ertilizeíf there would be thousands of loada gathöred and docomposed whero there are tens at the present timo. Bod are the creani of tha soil, containing the very element ot' plant lood that mnkes soil so productivo. When proporly rotted this material makes one of the best invigorators to bo found for trees, vities, vegetables and ceruals, and is ono of the most readily obtained of any fertilizor in use. Sods inay be gathercd froia the fence corners of tilled field s, gathered from the surface after plowing and harrowing sward land, and in many places from the roadside when the highway is undergoing repairs. Farmers and gardeners often have opportunities, where grading for the purpose of rilling ravines or elevating for buildings is gni'ifr on, to get tons of sods at no expense further than the hauling ; and yet it is very seldom that such opportunities are einbraced, even when the parties are annually purchasing commercial or barnyard nanures. The best soil is at the surface of any land that has not been under the plow for a few years, and especially if covered with grass, as the shade producod, the leaves and rootlets draw to this poiut the gases upon which vegetation feeds, and with the turf much of this rich material may bo collected. The sods should be piled up in some out-of-the-way place, grass downward, and the whole covered with ashes or chip dirt, or botli, to keep the graas from growing. A yoar or two will be required for them to thoroughly decay, unless cut down and shoveled over after lying long enough for tho graas to be entirely killed out. Water sliould be Bpplied at intervals sulTiripnt to kopp the pile moist and prevent a dry, monldy rot. The best way to provide for the wetting dowñ is to leiive the top cuppiug, and apply the water abundantly there in a dry time. It' tho compost Leap is located near a wol], spring or creek, the labor of wetting the sods would be groatly faoilitated. Nut a great amount of water or labor is required to keep the material in cood oondition, and no labor savo iu a very dry timo. -

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus