io6 Commercial Gardening 



taken from e to c. The work then proceeds to fd, and the soil which has 

 been wheeled there from bf is used to fill the last trench. 



Ridging 1 Up. This is an excellent cultural operation, and is almost 

 equal in value to double digging. By digging a piece of ground length- 

 ways, the soil from the trench is placed on the adjoining soil to the right 

 or left, thus forming a ridge about 2 ft. high on one side and a trench 

 correspondingly deep on the other. If the base of the ridge be 2 ft. wide, 

 soil to cover one-half of it is taken from one side, and to cover the other 

 half from the other side. In this way heavy soil is brought up, and a 

 large surface is exposed to the weather. The soil in the bottom of the 

 trenches on each side of the ridges may be still further improved by 

 breaking up with the fork. A modification of ridging is to turn up a 

 " spit " of soil and invert it in same place. The next spit is taken up and 

 placed on top of the first, thus making a hillock and hollow alternately. 

 Soil that has been ridged up in winter will be beautifully sweet and mellow 

 in spring, when the crests of the ridges may be easily levelled down with 

 a fork before sowing or planting operations. 



Raking* and Harrowing*. The rake is to the horticulturist what the 

 harrow is to the agriculturist. They both have the same object in view 

 namely, to level the surface of the ground, and break the clods into powder 

 so that it may be easier and better for the sowing of seeds. The rake is 

 useful for small areas, but the harrow (of which there are several varieties) 

 is adapted for drawing over large areas. The heavier harrows are useful 

 in clearing off the weeds, as are also the chain harrows, while the lighter 

 ones are used in connection with seed sowing. 



Rolling*. This is also a horticultural and agricultural operation. Its 

 object is to crush the clods still further, to make the surface more level, 

 and to compress the particles sufficiently to hold moisture and make a 

 firm root run. It would be fatal to growth to have large fissures in the 

 soil, or to have it so loose and spongy that tiny seeds would sink down 

 so deeply that the seedlings would never be able to reach the light. 

 Rolling ground, or treading on it with the feet, therefore, has the effect 

 of packing the soil particles together, without making them adhere so 

 closely as to prevent the entrance of air and water. 



Hoeing*. The hoe does not receive from the farmer or gardener the 

 respect to which it is entitled. It is kept lying idle very often until the 

 land becomes foul with weeds that have robbed the land of much of its 

 food and moisture (see p. 116) that will cost more to replace than half 

 a dozen hoeings. 



The hoe should be in constant use while the crops are growing. It is 

 invaluable as a food producer, a weed killer, and a moisture conserver, 

 and when used with regularity the cost of hoeing an acre of ground, 

 even by hand, is not great, perhaps 8s. to 10s. or 12s. at the most. When 

 the soil has become overrun with coarse weeds, and the surface is also 

 baked, the cost of hoeing an acre may be anything from 20.9. to 30.s\ 



The material advantages to be derived from regular hoeing are: 



