HUMUS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 December 1939, Page 3

HUMUS

ALL IMPORTANT IN GARDEN. Green manuring is a method of supplying nourishment to the soil which is becoming increasingly popular. It. consists in growing a quick-manuring crop and digging into the soil as eoon as it reaches maturity. The green leaves and stems become decomposed in the ground and provide the necessary amount of humus. Humus is all-important in. maintaining soil fertility; so that where humus in the form of animal manures, leaf mould, peat or other substances cannot be obtained, green manuring is a cheap and reliable method of maintaining fertility. Green manures are suitable for light and heavy soils. Light soils are made more retentive of moisture, and heavy soils are made more friable. The crops usually grown for this purpose are turnips, mustard, and vetch. The first two should not be used on land on which any members of the cabbage family have been grown recently, especially if club root disease is prevalent. Vetches form a valuable source of nitrates because these plants like all other members of the pea family, have small nitrate-forming bacteria on their roots, which, when dug into the soil, greatly enrich it. Green manuring is done between the times of lifting one crop and sowing another. The ground is forked over and raked to an even tilth, after which the seed is sown broadcast and raked in. About one ounce of seed per square yard is required. If any difficulty is experienced in digging it in, the crop can be sliced off each strip with the spade and spread in the bottom of the trench before turning the soil over il.