THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 367 



no effect upon them, their roots being far removed from the parching 

 influence of a burning sun. By deep cultivation, rain, instead of 

 being injurious, has a most salutary effect upon the soil, by bringing 

 it to the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere, and by com- 

 municating to it in its course into the drains the several gases it 

 had absorbed in its passage through the air, the most important of 

 which are carbonic acid and ammonia, the true food of plants. By 

 means of deep cultivation we shall be enabled, after a little time, to 

 turn down our exhausted surface-soil, and replace it by a subsoil, 

 which will far excel it in point of fertility ; and, finally, we shall 

 cause that beautiful admixture of the principal earths on which the 

 fertility aud productive properties of all soils solely depend. The 

 reader should not consider these as wild theories, but as the result 

 of the writer's own practical experience and observation for the last 

 twenty-five years ; and he must say that these are only some of the 

 very many important changes and advantages arising out of, and to 

 be derived from deep cultivation. 



We next come to the proper time to trench or deepen the land, 

 which should be done as early in the autumn or winter as possible, 

 that it may be well pulverized, by being exposed to the winter's 

 frost, and laid open to the influence of the atmosphere upon the 

 many injurious and poisonous ingredients contained in the subsoil 

 — such as the salts of iron, copper, lead, etc., etc. To assist in the 

 total neutralization of these poisonous salts, I would strongly recom- 

 mend the application of quicklime at the time of trenching, as, by 

 taking the place of the metallic oxides, it will form salts of lime, all 

 of which have, without exception, the most beneficial effects upon 

 the soil. Should the subsoil be treated in this way, there is no 

 danger in bringing to the surface any portion even of the worst 

 description ; but of the properties of lime I shall speak more fully 

 in its own place, when treating of manures. 



Many plans may be laid down for the trenching of ground, but 



I consider the following as a very efficient and good one : — With a 



line mark off a bed three feet wide, ou one side of the field to be 



trenched, for the first trench, by nicking along it with the spade. 



Pare from this bed all kinds of weeds and grass, aud remove them 



in on the surface of the field to be trenched ; then take the line to 



the opposite side of the field, and lay off a similar bed, which should 



be treated exactly in the same manner as the first. Then return to 



the first bed and remove the earth two spadings deep, which should 



be carried in a wheelbarrow or hand-cart and laid upon the bed at 



the other side, in order to fill up the last trench, which shall remain 



unfilled at the closing of this operation. Now commence and mark 



off your next bed of three feet alongside this open trench; pare off 



the weeds, etc., into the bottom of it ; then commence and dig your 



first spading, which should be thrown into the bottom of this trench ; 



after which dig a second spading, and place it over the first, in the 



form of ridge or drill, that as much of the surface as possible may 



be exposed to the action of frost, air, etc.; and thus continue until 



the whole is completed. Should you have plenty of manure, this 



will be the best time to dig it in, placing it between the two spits, 



December. 



