n8 CULTURE OF VEGETABLES [CH. 



crops of onions, peas, carrots, parsnips, and beans of all 

 kinds. The best method is to treat the ground to 

 "bastard-trenching," as gardeners call it. Open a trench 

 one pace wide, one spit (together with the loose shovellings) 

 deep, and carry the soil taken out to the end, where it is 

 intended to finish the work. Then dig the bottom spit in 

 the trench, shovelling in first the dung with which the 

 ground is to be manured, and then the surface soil of the 

 next trench ; then fill up the first trench with the top spit 

 of the second (taking care that it is thrown on in a ridge, 

 not level) ; then dig the bottom of the second trench as 

 before, and so on, until the piece of ground is finished. 

 For all crops this plan will more than repay any additional 

 labour involved, and as the roots will certainly grow 

 much deeper, the crops will be generally independent 

 of dry seasons. In the case of very light, sandy soil, this 

 operation had best be left until spring, or else the winter's 

 rain may filter away some of the fertilising ingredients of 

 the manure. 



In case, however, this trenching has not been done, the 

 ground should be thrown up in ridges, in a rough, lumpy 

 state during the winter, so that the action of the atmos- 

 phere and frost may leave it, when thawed, in a pulverised 

 condition, ready, when spring comes, to be levelled, and 

 to receive without delay its intended crop. 



In ground set apart for onions and carrots it is a 

 good practice, when the first levelling takes place, to give 

 a liberal dressing of soot below, fresh slaked lime on the 

 surface and some salt, and afterwards, in the case of 



