198 JOTTINGS OF A GENTLEMAN GARDENER 



is not possible where the soil of the second spit is not 

 good enough to bring up to the surface. In my own garden 

 there is only about i ft. of good black soil, below that is 

 yellow shale, clay, and stone, or " red sub-soil " as it is 

 called in Yorkshire. We are, however, gradually improving 

 this by false trenching. 



False trenching is a little more difficult, and it takes 

 longer. The plot is divided into sections as before and the 

 soil of the first section is also dug out to the depth of 2 ft. 

 (two spits). But in this case the soil of the top spit is kept 

 separate from that of the second spit, though both arc 

 wheeled away and shot up on an adjoining plot, after the 

 stone has been picked out of the soil of the second spit. 

 Now dig out the top spit of the second section of the plot 

 and wheel it also away, shooting it up with the soil of the 

 top spit of the first section. At this point the trench in 

 the second section will be i ft., and that in the first section 

 2 ft. deep. The soil at the bottom of the first section is 

 now broken up with the spade or digging fork, and if there 

 is stone it may be removed by using a pickaxe or crowbar. 

 If it is a very thick tenacious clay, it will dig better with a 

 navvy's spade than an ordinary No. 3 garden spade, or 

 better still with a good strong fork. Having done this and 

 dug in some manure, place a layer of manure on the top. 

 Now turn the second spit of the second section into the 

 first section, mixing in some road scrapings, leaves, sand, 

 lime, soot, wood ashes, or even fresh soil if possible to 

 improve it. But do not fill in the first section higher than 

 i ft. from the surface with this poor material ; wheel 

 away what may be over to the rubbish heap, a portion of 

 it may be burnt when the rubbish fire is burning strongly. 

 Now turn the top spit of the third section on to the soil 

 you have just placed in the first section. When that 

 is done the first section will be completely filled in, the 

 second section will be open 2 ft. and the third section i ft. 

 deep. Repeat this process to the end of the plot, filling 

 in the last two sections with soil taken away from the first. 



It will be evident that in this manner of trenching all the 



