CompOSt Pit	[   |_g;
preferably be burnt. Leave this compost
through the summer, turning occasionally
and adding lime to hasten decomposition.
Decomposition is hastened if even a
small proportion of animal manure (farm,
stable, poultry, rabbit or any kind of
animal manure) can be added to the heap,
as this sets up desirable bacterial action.
Sufficient moisture must also be present:

}	Comptonia.
particular the free use of chemical foods
in place of animal manure, pointing to
the fact that the Chinese have cultivated
their soil for thousands of years without'
loss of fertility, whereas Western garden-
ers and farmers have left the world's
surface much poorer by their system of
cultivation: the Chinese, of course, return
all waste products direct to the soil, and

 

O     O    O   O
SHED'"
COMPOST pm

GARAGE C
KITCHEN   GARDEN
ft
LAWN

GROUND
LEVEL
•COMPOST
LIME
COMPOST

COMPOST PIT
A compost pit in a corner of the garden is useful for converting waste vegetable matter into manure.
Its position and construction are shown here.

many garden compost heaps fail to decay
according to plan merely because they are
too dry. The best method is to build each
compost heap with care, treading the
layers of organic refuse well down, with
soil layers between them, also well
trodden, and an occasional sprinkling
with the watercan as the heap is built.
Well made compost should be dryish
and crumbly, pleasant and clean to
handle. Long straw shonld not be built
into the heap—if it is to be used it
should be chopped small first.
There are at present two opposing
schools of thought concerning soil fertility.
One group opposes modern methods, in

artificial fertilizers have been unknown to
them. The opposite camp points to the
success of soilless culture methods (See
hydroponics). We may however take it
for granted that soil starved of humus
does quickly become infertile, and could
only be made to produce heavy crops by
constant feeding and watering.
COMPTONIA (komp-to'-ni-a, Kyri-
caceae). Sweet Fern, Eastern N, America,
Deciduous shrubs of distinct appearance,
•2-4 ft., with fern-like foliage, pleasantly
aromatic. It likes shade and a peatj
soil.
C. asplenifolia (syn, Myrica asplenifclia).
The onlv species.