138 GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS. 



The proper pulverizing of the soil is a matter of the 

 utmost importance. Although many of the large market 

 gardens in Europe are yet dug with the spade or digging 

 fork, it is rare that anything else is used with us than 

 the plow and harrow. We ourselves are so satisfied of 

 the superiority of the plow, as a pulverizer of the soil, 

 over the spade or digging fork, that we would not allow 

 our grounds, for any purpose, to be dug, even if done 

 for nothing, and no digging is ever done on our grounds 

 in any spot where horses can be worked. Experience 

 has shown us that it is always beneficial to plow land in 

 the fall, not only that when thus thrown up in ridges it 

 gets pulverized by the action of the frost, but also that 

 the turning up of the soil exposes the larvae and eggs of 

 insects also to the frost, which tends greatly to lessen 

 their numbers the succeeding year. 



MANURE HEAP. 



When the ground to be used for the crop is far off 

 from the manure yard, it is advantageous to have the 

 manure placed in convenient heaps on the land, say of 

 100 or 200 loads in each, but care should be taken that 

 the heap is not spread over too large a surface, as, (if 

 the land has been heavily manured the previous year,) 

 wherever the manure heap has lain, it will so "poison" 

 the land that nothing will grow. If, however, the land 

 is newly broken, never having been manured, where the 

 manure has lain the crop will likely be the best. A good 

 height for the manure heap is from four to six feet. For 

 the early Cabbage crop, it should always be spread on 

 broadcast, and in quantity not less than 100 cart loads, 

 or 75 tons to the acre, which will leave it, when spread, 

 about two or three inches in thickness. 



