HOETICTILTUEAL PROCESSES. 



51 



V. 



HORTICULTUBAL PROCESSES. 



Every operation In gardening depends for its complete and universal success upon a knowl- 

 edge of the structure of plants, the nature of soils and manures, and the laws of vegetable 

 life and growth.— ilf. Le Jardinier. 



L-STIEEING THE SOIL. 



HE attentive reader of the foregoing chap- 

 ters will not require to be told that a thor- 

 ough stirring and pulverizing of the soil, as 

 one of the first operations in gardening, is 

 absolutely essential to any high degree of 

 success in the steps -which follow. His 

 knowledge of the structure of roots and the nature 

 of their food has prepared him to appreciate the im- 

 portance of the mechanical division of soils. He 

 knows that the ground must be readily permeable by 

 the tender rootlets, pervious to moisture and air, and 

 60 broken up that the water, acids, and alkalies penetrating it 

 may efficiently act upon its soluble parts. 



Spading is the most effectual method of stirring the soil, 

 but, where the plow can be advantageously used, will hardly 

 " pay" in this country. In small gardens, and in portions of 

 all gardens, spading is the only practicable operation. "What- 

 ever the means used, let the work be thorouglily done. Down- 

 ing says: "If I had to preach a sermon on horticulture, I 

 should take this for my text — 'Stir the soil.' " 



II.-APPLYING MANUEES. 



As the roots of plants usually penetrate every part of the 

 soil of a garden, manures^ as a general rule, should he as tJior- 



