CULTIVATION 9 



which will render them lighter and more porous, such as 

 strawy manure, sand, brick and lime rubble. 



Light or sandy soils should have leaf mould, rotted t 

 farmyard manure, and ' catch' crops that is, mustard, 

 vetch, &c., grown on purpose for * green manuring ' ; 

 these enable the soil to keep its moisture longer. 



Where trenching is not possible Bastard Trenching 

 should be done. It is the moving of the top spit and 

 turning the second spit or subsoil without taking it 

 out of the trench. 



No one should forget that for plants to thrive the air 

 must be able to get well down into the soil, and bastard 

 trenching helps this. 



Often it is not advisable to bring subsoil, or the second 

 spit, to the surface, but it is good to thoroughly stir or 

 move it. 



Ridging, or roughing up the ground in winter, is 

 usually much neglected, but it is extremely valuable as 

 it breaks up the soil into a fine state of division, and so 

 renders it suitable for cultivation. Water on freezing 

 expands in the tiny cracks and crevices in the stones 

 and forces them open, thus improving the ' tilth '. 



