40 HORTICULTURE LECT. n 



properly laid in rows about six yards apart, and have a gentle 

 fall and free outlet, the water cannot rise above them and the 

 soil then will not be stagnated. 



Q. In what way do crops show the want of drainage ? 



A. They are late in starting into growth because the sun can- 

 not warm the soil ; warm air cannot pass through soil that is 

 stagnant with water because the air is lighter than water, just 

 as oil is, and therefore floats on the surface. Moreover the 

 growth in saturated soil is not only slow and stubborn but 

 essentially unhealthy, for the simple reason that wholesome 

 plant food cannot be obtained from such soil. Any person can 

 test the matter for himself by an experiment with plants in 

 pots. Stop up the drainage of one or two and continue water- 

 ing them the same as others which are properly drained ; the 

 difference in health will soon be apparent ; in fact there can be 

 no healthy growth in a quagmire except of bog plants 

 whether the saturated soil is in pots or not. Land resting on 

 gravel as in Fig. 2 (page 32) is naturally drained, but water- 

 holding clays should have drains "placed in " them. 



Q. Is strong clayey land as much improved by deep trenching 

 as light land is ? 



A. No, a foot of strong soil will by its natural retentiveness 

 hold twice the plant food that the same depth of light land will. 

 The chief thing is to make heavy land workable by the addition 

 of gritty matter to open it, breaking up the bottom of the 

 trenches as the digging proceeds but leaving the freest soil at 

 the top for sowing or planting in. Light land should have 

 heavier particles mixed with it as advised in the lecture. 



Q. In a light land district and no heavy soil to be found for 

 mixing, what would be the best course to pursue for obtaining 

 the best results ? 



A. The land, after being covered with a green crop in winter 

 (see page 19), should be dug early in the spring a good spade 

 depth, and the bottom of each trench also well broken up but the 

 soil left in position ; then any soft annual weeds or vegetable re- 

 fuse may be spread on it, and covered with the top soil from the 

 next trench. If manure is applied in the autumn much of its 

 virtue is washed out of sandy land in winter. As the crops in 

 such soil are liable to suffer from drought, digging in dry weather 

 in late spring should as far as possible be avoided ; and if the 

 ground is light it should be compressed by treading before 

 sowing or planting. Manure if scarce should not be dug into 

 sandy land deeply. It is better to work some of a decayed kind 

 just within the surface so that the roots of crops may im- 

 mediately benefit by it ; and it is an excellent plan to spread 



