GARDENING. 865 



well drained by a fine, sandy subsoil, is the best. A light soil that requires no underdrain- 

 ing may be easily worked, but requires more frequent applications of manure, which may be 

 best applied in the form of compost, made of one-half loam and half manure. Cabbages, 

 celery, cauliflowers, and such plants thrive in a rather stiff soil, while radishes, beets, lettuce, 

 and many of the early garden crops seem to do best in a warm, sandy loam. The soil for a 

 garden should be rich; a dry, loose, gravely soil is unfit for a garden. When the soil is 

 naturally light and thin, the mixing of some clay will be an advantage. The best method of 

 applying it, however, is to compost it first with manure, the clay acting as an absorbent in the 

 compost heap. The reverse is also true, viz.: when soils are too heavy they may be 

 improved by mixing with sand. Lands that are too wet should be thoroughly under- 

 drained. 



The soil for a garden should be finely pulverized and made friable in order to secure a 

 speedy germination of the seeds, while, where kept so, it is one of the most favorable con 

 ditions for the destruction or prevention of weeds. The manure applied should also be well 

 pulverized and thoroughly mixed with the soil. For all the practical purposes of gardening, 

 well composted barn-yard manure seems to be the best material for fertilizing, although many 

 of the concentrated manures now manufactured are valuable and convenient, especially where 

 a succession of crops is desired. Wood ashes, bone dust, superphosphate, guano, and lime 

 are also excellent fertilizers when the soil requires them. The site of a garden, or rather its 

 exposure, has much to do with the early maturity of the crops, an exposure to the morning 

 sun being desirable. 



Seed. The best seeds should always be secured for gardens, not only the best varieties, 

 but fresh seed that has not lost its vitality by being kept too long. Seed frequently fails to 

 germinate from being sown at an improper season, or when the soil is not in a suitable con 

 dition. Other reasons for failure may be attributed to insects in the soil that devour the 

 germ either before or soon after it appears above the ground, unfavorable conditions of 

 the soil, that may cause the seed to rot before vegetating, or the germ to dry up and die, etc., 

 all of which conditions and possibilities should be taken into account by the gardener, and 

 be obviated as far as possible. For a more extended treatment of this subject, see GOOD 

 SEED (VOL. I, page 512). 



Transplanting. Plants are frequently lost after being transplanted from the seed 

 bed, simply from the work not being done in a proper manner. If taken up at the right time, 

 and with care, and without disturbing the roots, and the ground for receiving them be suitably 

 prepared, there is no reason why plants that are transplanted should not live and thrive well. 

 A misty day with a wet soil is the best time for resetting, the mist settling upon the leaves, 

 freshening the plants, and giving them a good start before being exposed to the sun. When 

 such a day does not appear, after a shower just at night, is also a good time. The soil is 

 then wet, and the dew and shade afforded by the night will give the plants vigor and strength 

 to better bear the sunlight. If one or two cloudy days should follow transplanting, so much 

 the better. When it is necessary to transplant during dry weather, make a suitable hole or 

 excavation in the ground for the roots, and fill it with water; as soon as the water soaks out, 

 leaving the ground in a moist condition, place the roots in the opening made for them, and 

 press the earth firmly around, it being made to come to the first leaves. If the weather 

 continues dry, remove the soil slightly from around the plant with a hoe, leaving it in the 

 form of a basin around the stern. Pour the water into this basin (not upon the plant to 

 drown it), and in an hour or so after it has soaked into the soil, draw the earth over the 

 surface and cover as before. Plants treated in this manner, even if set in a very dry time, 

 will scarcely ever fail to live. All roots should have the place made to receive them suited 

 to their form, and placed as nearly as possible in the same manner as before being removed, 

 VOL. II. 47 



