ESSENTIALS IN GARDENING 



THE soil and the air produce our plants. The 

 air furnishes carbonic acid, which is of the most 

 vital importance, and the soil the nourishment 

 which is fed to the plant through the root. Soil 

 without the proper elements in it will never 

 produce worth-while vegetation. A child cannot 

 thrive if it is not fed the proper food, and plants, 

 like children, differ in their requirements. The 

 soil must be suited to the plant. Some plants 

 require a rich soil, some a light soil; some require 

 a great deal of moisture while others will do best 

 in a semi-dry state; and each species of flower must 

 be studied individually in order to supply it with 

 the correct proportions of nitrogen, potash, 

 and phosphate, the three essentials in plant 

 nourishment. 



No flower will do its best in a hard, dry soil. 

 Before planting, the soil should be thoroughly 

 pulverized. It should first be spaded and 

 harrowed to a depth of from one to two feet for 

 the average garden bed, and even deeper than that 



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