first cut will leave rows of clippings to dry on the lawn; the
second cut will disintegrate those clippings and pretty much make
them disappear. Finally, there are "mulching" mowers with blades
that chop green grass clippings into tiny pieces and drops them
below the mower where they are unnoticeable.

Grass clippings, especially spring grass, are very high in nitrogen,
similar to the best horse or cow manure. Anyone who has piled up
fresh grass clippings has noticed how rapidly they heat up, how
quickly the pile turns into a slimy, airless, foul-smelling
anaerobic mess, and how much ammonia may be given off. Green grass
should be thoroughly dispersed into a pile, with plenty of dry
material. Reserve bags of leaves from the fall or have a bale of
straw handy to mix in if needed. Clippings allowed to sun dry for a
few days before raking or bagging behave much better in the compost
heap.

_Greensand._ See _Rock dust._

_Hair _contains ten times the nitrogen of most manures. It resists
absorbing moisture and readily compresses, mats, and sheds water, so
hair needs to be mixed with other wetter materials. If I had easy
access to a barber shop, beauty salon, or poodle grooming business,
I'd definitely use hair in my compost. Feathers, feather meal and
feather dust (a bird's equivalent to hair) have similar qualities.

_Hay._ In temperate climates, pasture grasses go through an annual
cycle that greatly changes their nutrient content. Lawn grasses are
not very different. The first cuttings of spring grass are potent
sources of nitrogen, high in protein and other vital mineral