386 VILLA GARDENING part v 



repair. The other paths may be strips of Grass turf, 4 feet wide, 

 for the conveuience of laying out the ground into beds or quarters 

 to suit the requirements of each crop. If a vegetable garden be 

 properly laid out, and well cultivated and cropped, it will be full of 

 interest to all those who give, or wish to give, any thought to 

 such matters. For a vegetable garden of this character some of 

 the neatly-habited vegetables, such as Beet, Curled Kale, Parsley, 

 etc., will do for edgings. A very eftective edging may be had by 

 planting a row of Parsley outside next the path, and three rows of 

 Beet next, and beyond that may come a break of Brussels Sprout, 

 or any other vegetable. Any land under cleanly culture, and 

 bearing good crops, forms a pleasant sight ; and a walk among beds 

 of Onions, Carrots, Parsnips, Beet, Cauliflowers, Asparagus, Celery, 

 etc., intersected by long rows of Peas, all full of healthful vigour, 

 is calcvdated to give pleasure to a rightly-constituted mind, even if 

 there be no formal walks and edgings. 



Trenching and j\Ianurin(;. — There is not — there! cannot be 

 — any comparison lietweeu the crops grown on deeply-worked land 

 and on that which is only surface-scratched. This difference will 

 be more marked in unfavourable seasons. A cold spring or a hot 

 dry summer has less effect upon the well-worked land, for the 

 well-nourished plant can withstand hardships better than the 

 starveling. But nowadays one need not use many arguments 

 to prove that a deeply-worked soil is the best. The only valid 

 excuse I have ever heard m-ged against it is want of time or 

 scarcity of laboiu-. Few gardeners, I imagine, are in a position to 

 do all they would wish in this way. Still, in the growth of 

 vegetables, trenching the land up deeply must form the ground- 

 work of all good culture ; and especially is this the case where the 

 supply of manure is inadequate. But this, like all other matters 

 of our daily existence, should be regarded by the light of common 

 sense. Though trenching is beneficial, it may be the reverse to 

 bring up too much of the bad subsoil to the surface at any one 

 time. If the subsoil is clay, be content with bringing up a small 

 quantity to the surface each time, and when this becomes dry 

 gather the lumps together and burn them, spreading the product 

 over the land. But though it is not wise to bring up the hungry 

 soil to the top in any great quantity, it should be well broken up 

 in the bottom of the trench with spade and pick. Where trenching 

 is done systematically the depth is never less than 2 feet. The 

 modus ojjerandi of trenching is very simple. A trench, say from 

 2 to 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep, is opened across the half of the 

 land which is to be trenched, wheeling the soil to the same end of 

 the other half, laying it in a ridge where it is intended to finish ; 



