86 PRINCIPLES OF GARDENING. [CH. 11. 



autumn, than those on black light soils ; the latter 

 attain a genial warmth the more readily, but part 

 from it with equal speed. 



Different plants affect different soils. Every gar- 

 dener must have observed that there is scarcely a 

 kitchen-garden but has some paiticular crop which 

 it sustains in luxuriance far superior to any other 

 garden in its neighbourhood, or to any other crop that 

 can be grown on it. A gai'den I once cultivated, 

 would not produce, without the preparation of an 

 artificial soil, the common garden cress, [Lepidium 

 sativum,) whilst the raspberiy was remarkably luxu- 

 riant ; and we have seen that the composition of a 

 soil has a main influence in these peculiarities. 



It is certain that a soil is often considered unpro- 

 ductive, and the unproductiveness attributed to some 

 deficiency in its staple, when, in tmth, the defect 

 arises from erroneous management. I have before 

 stated an instance of tap-rooted plants being produced 

 of superior size and fonn, by means of applying the 

 manure deep below the surface. In another instance, 

 some parsneps being of necessity sown in a poor soil, 

 hav-ing turned in some manure by trenching full 

 twelve inches deep, I would not allow any to be 

 applied to the surface ; but, at the time of thinning, 

 I set half the bed out at an average of twelve inches 

 distance between each plant, the other half at nine 



