20 A HOME VEGETABLE-GARDEN 



tilizers and will do much to rid the garden of 

 insects. Spread on the salt and lime thick 

 enough to whiten the surface, and drag it in. 

 Let it lie a few days and drag again. It will be 

 wise to wait now until a good heavy frost 

 has made a finish of the troublesome live things. 

 Then, when the soil is moist, plow and fertilize 

 and drag again. Use the same procedure in plow- 

 ing and the same care in choice and application 

 of fertilizers that was followed in establishing the 

 garden; and year after year, the old garden will 

 become a better investment yielding richer re- 

 turns. 



At the close of the year something may be done 

 to carry out our theories on garden improvement. 

 We will consider first the texture of the soil. 

 If it is too light, not loamy enough ; or if, on the 

 other hand, it is too compact, hard like clay, it 

 needs humus; and autumn is the best time to 

 furnish this valuable constituent. Humus im- 

 proves the water-holding capacity of sandy soil 

 and lessens disastrous effects of drought. Plow 

 under all the humus-providing material that is 

 obtainable. The uninfested and undiseased gar- 

 den refuse may be used. It is possible to cultivate 

 the late garden too clean. Let the weeds remain 

 unless they are going to seed. Scatter clover as 

 soon as each crop is removed, especially on clay or 

 very heavy loam. A clover crop turned in makes 

 humus and also furnishes green-manure. Before 



