Evening star., 1948-10-29
This and That
Bp Charles Z. TrnceUeH

"FORTY-NINTH STREET.
Dear Sir:
Some years ago read an article by you on
making a compost pile.
Gould you give Us an article again on how.
to make manure of this abundant supply of
leaves we have around here?
81 have burned the leaves, but always knew
that was a waste of natural resources.
II made piles of leaves years back and go
there and find some nice compost that nature
made without any help from me. but as have
no other place to store leaves but under some
trees, I find that the trees send rootlets up
into these decayed leaves.
Thanking you. am
Yours truly, o. L. C."
Nature is the original compost maker.
She still does the best job, but Is pretty slow
about it.
Natures processes are never hurried. When
she has complete control. certain process
takes certain time, usually much longer than
impatient man would like.
The big secret of making compost Is water,
plenty of water and still more water.
This means more than putting the water on
top.
Rains will not do 1t.
Rains, sleet, snow-these put on water, but
even the aid Of bacteria does not make them
make quick compost
This is where man, with his universal I'M
patience, can enter the picture.
He can put water where the rains take too
long to reach.
He can turn over the pile.
This turning over, and putting water right
where it does the most good is the real secret
Of making compost.
Leaves and other small bits are to be used,
with no animal matter, and no large pieces Of
wood
Turn over the mass
secures results, where Indifferent turning and
top watering fails or at least takes too long.
1t is easy to forget. 1t takes will power, as
well as muscle, to strike in pitchfork or
spade and turn over soggy mass.
But it is the one thing needful, and we all
know how the needful thing Is essential, in
all daily life.
Especially in the hot months. when one has
other things to do. attention to the compost
pile seems somehow unnecessary.
Nature 10 powerful. we think Her bacteria
will take care of all that. And 50 they do, but
they too, are not in a hurry. Sometimes 1t
seems as If nothing is in hurry except the
spirit Of man. The world is too much with us.
indeed! We are In such hurry because we
know all too we'll we needs must be. Nature
has been here so long that she can AFFORD to
slow down. Before man cut down the trees,
and harried the prairies nature let the leaves
pile up and decompose slowly. She had no idea
that John Jones wanted to make his flowers
grow next spring.
compost pile is best placed away from
trees, since these keep off rain.
Chemical mixtures for incorporation into the
mass may be purchased. Some of them are
good, others not so good. Here is where care
full investigation comes in
Organic gardening is something that has
grown in recent years, with the discoveries Of
the need of vitamins and minerals in the
daily diet. Many honest men have q belief
that we cannot get these diet factors as the
result of chemical fertilizers being used for
crop stimulus Or at least not as well. Hence
the idea, now popular, that completely Or
ganic fertilizers are essential for best results.
The idea is an interesting one and has in
trigued more and more people, until now
there Is complete cult, with its nigh priest in
England, and many earnest disciples spread
around the world. 1t has, indeed, the force of
a sort of religion. About year after the print
ing of the article referred to by our correspond
ent, we had a telephone call from a reader who
said that it had given him whole new interest
in life. His gratitude was touching and heart
warming. Not every one will get so much
from organic gardening, but every one inter-
ested In a small place needs some knowledge