TRENCHING, LOUDON ON. 517 TRENCHING, ROBERTSON ON. 



aid of the spade. " For trenching with 

 a view to pulverising and changing the 

 surface, a trench is formed like the furrow 

 in digging, but two or more times wider 

 and deeper." The term "digging," it 

 should be said, is applied by Loudon to 

 the act of simply turning over the surface 

 of ground with the spade. " The plot or 

 piece to be trenched," he then continues, 

 "is next marked off into parallel strips of 

 this width, and beginning at one of these, 

 the operator digs or picks the surface 

 stratum, and throws it in the bottom of 

 the trench. Having completed with the 

 shovel the removal of the surface stratum, 

 a second, and a third, or fourth, according 

 to the depth of the soil and other circum- 

 stances, is removed in the same way, and 

 thus, when the operation is completed, the 

 position of the different strata is exactly 

 the reverse of what they were before. In 

 trenching, with a view to mixture and 

 pulverisation, all that is necessary is to 

 open, at one corner of the plot, a trench 

 or excavation of the desired depth, 3 or 4 

 feet long, and 6 or 8 feet broad. Then 

 proceed to fill this excavation from one end 

 by working out a similar one. In this way 

 proceed across the piece to be trenched, 

 and then return, and so on in parallel 

 courses to the end of the plot, observing 

 that the face or position of the moved soil 

 in the trench must always be that of a 

 slope, in order that whatever is thrown 

 there may be mixed, and not deposited in 

 regular layers as in the other case. To 

 effect this most completely, the operator 

 should always stand in the bottom of the 

 trench, and first picking down and mixing 

 the materials from the solid side, should 

 next take them up with the shovel, and 

 throw them on the slope or face of the 

 moved soil, keeping a distinct space of 2 

 or 3 feet between them. For want of 

 attention to this in trenching new soils for 

 gardens and plantations, it may be truly 



said that half the benefit derivable from the 

 operation is lost." 



Trenching, Robertson on. 



Mr. J. Robertson, of Cowdenknowes, 

 writing in Gardening Illustrated^ thus 

 insists on the importance of trenching and 

 double digging. November, he points out, 

 " is the time to get as much of the garden 

 dug over as possible," and then, turning to 

 the main part of his subject, he continues : 

 " It is a good plan to trench part of the 

 garden every year, exposing as much sur- 

 face to the frost as possible. The piece of 

 ground intended for carrots, parsnips, beet, 

 salsafy, scorzonera, chicory, and all such 

 things with long roots, should be trenched ; 

 by so doing, the roots are not so apt to 

 fork. Peas and potatoes also do well on 

 newly trenched ground. When commenc- 

 ing to trench a piece of ground, I take 

 an opening out 3 feet wide and three 

 spades deep, and wheel the soil to the 

 other end for filling in the last trench. I 

 make each trench the same width. After 

 two spits deep is turned over into the 

 trench, I then put the manure on the top 

 of that, the last spit going on top of the 

 manure in form of a ridge. It is best to 

 lay the soil up in ridges, and as rough as 

 possible, exposing as much surface to the 

 influence of frost as can be done. If the 

 garden has a gravelly or sandy bottom it 

 will be sure to be dry in summer. When 

 trenching such ground, put into the 

 bottom of the trench all old cabbages that 

 are past any use, cauliflower leaves, and all 

 such vegetable refuse ; by doing so, it helps 

 to retain the moisture in dry seasons, and 

 it will be found to help substantially the 

 rowing crops in summer. When manure 

 is plentiful it shou'd not be spared when 

 trenching, putting a layer between every 

 spit. In gardens, where there is time, 

 instead of digging one spade deep, and 

 laying up rough for winter, it is a gooC 



