Evening star., 1932-10-06
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

It has moisture-retentive qualities,
but not as much as peat.
The chemical composition Is very
| much in dispute among the experts.
Some say it contains weak acid, 'hu-
mic acid" which sounds reasonable to
the lay mind
This would be just another bond be-
| tween it and peat moss since the latter
material has slightly acid reaction" !"
according to the books. The amateur
gardener often is puzzled by the advice
cate peat for covering the beds of rho
dodendrons and other acid-loving
plants and the very next place they
stress its importance in lawn building,
where lime has been SO often advocated.
The writer here has been trying bit
Of experimentation during the past two
years with these materials. OF the two
we prefer the humus for appearance S
sake, as it gives any soil the rich
earth" appearance which goes with the
very finest Of forest soils.
We got most excellent results with
humus in making over an old lawn last
Spring year ago. This Fall we are
trying the experiment of putting peat
moss over lawn on the south side OF
the house, exposed to about all the sun
there is.
This lawn is terraced. thus furnishing
drainage, which keeps the sod extremely
dry especially in such dry Autumns as
the vicinity has known for the past
three years
It will be interesting to see II the
peat actually holds the moisture as
well as it is supposed to, and what, If
any, effect it will have on the growth
Of new grass seed.
The physical characteristics of these
two important materials are quite
striking. Humus is smooth, whereas
peat is rough. in character, its cell-hke
construction often being seen easily
enough with the naked eye" silly
old expression. but expressive, as silly
old expressions often are.
Get leaf mold" the experts say
but where is the average amateur
gardener going to get it? None OF the
experts seem to know. The advice, to
build compost heap. on which all old
leaves and other vegetable matter are
to be kept. submerged between layers
of earth and lime, is not followed by
one amateur gardener out of hundred
One may doubt that if it were, the
results would be what one had hoped
for. A year is a long time. and the
average compost heap shows nothing
much in year. 1t took Nature thou
sands upon thousands of years to make
her humus. gathered from old lake bot
toms. and her peat, whether made Of
MOSES, grasses, trees or SeaWeed.
Leaf mold is an ideal which few
impatient moderns will realize. Nc
doubt they do better by themselves tc
purchase humus in bags, and peat moss
in bales.
Both Of these materials are delightful
to work with. And this is no incon-
siderable feature. in view Of the well
known finicky disposition of the city
gardener His gardening is only play
gardening after all, he recognizes this
as we'll as any, but he enjoys himself
ties himself to the millions of human
beings who went before him. keeps him
self interested in nature and soothes
his spirit, SO easily riled in these times
What more could one ask?
Instead Of searching wildly through
the Woocs for leaf mold tand perhaps
getting good dose OF poison IVY, many
city and suburban gardener would dc
well to indulge in fine bale of peat. II
comes with German and Dutch labels
now. and no doubt American peat car
be secured. 1t is baled under compress
sion SO that it goes long way.
In use it should be crumpled finely in
the hands before it Is mixed with the
soil or thrown on top of it as a mulch
AS it is very dry and very fine, this
should be done on quiet day. as il
blows around before it is wet. Once il
has been wet, however, it retains water
for a long time and never dries out a.
one finds it in the bale.
Whether peat in time becomes as dark
as humus we do not know. Certainly
the latter is a fine looking substance
from the garden standpoint. If some
OF it is dug under. it will be found to
be there months later as dark as ever.