52 GENERAL PKESTCIPLES. 



in the fall or winter, and then turned over once in the 

 spring to effect a thorough mixture of all the materials, it 

 will be in suitable order for planting. This is something 

 like the way to prepare soil for a garden ; and let no one 

 say it is too troublesome or too expensive, for in two 

 years the extra pleasure and profit it will yield, will pay 

 for all. l^othing is so expensive or so troublesome as an 

 ill-prepared soil. 



3. DRAINING. 



There is a false notion very prevalent among people, 

 that where water does not lodge on the surface of a soil, 

 it is " dry enough." However this may be in regard to 

 meadows or annual crops, it is quite erroneous when ap- 

 plied to orchards or fruit gardens. Stagnant moisture 

 either in the surface or subsoil is highly injurious — ^ruin- 

 ous to fruit trees. In such situations we invariably find 

 them unthrifty and unfruitful, the bark mossy, and the 

 fruit imperfect and insipid. All the soils, then, not per- 

 fectly free from stagnant moistm-e, both above and below, 

 should be drained. In draining, it is, of course, neces- 

 sary to have a fall or outlet for the water. Having se- 

 lected this, the next point is to open the drains. We 

 usually make them three feet deep, and wide enough to 

 give sufficient room to work — say three feet wide at top, 

 narrowing gradually to six inches at the bottom, which 

 should be even and sloping enough to the outlet of the 

 water to enable it to run. A laborer who understands 

 draining, will make two rods of these in a day ; and 

 good pipe-tile, two inches wide, can be had at the rate of 

 about one cent per foot. Draining, therefore, is not 

 so costly an operation as many suppose. 



Where draining tiles are not to be had conveniently, 

 small stones may be used. The bottom of the drain 



