THE SOIL FOR ROOTS. 231 



work to dig them, and they are forked. Tliis kind of land, 

 therefore, should be avoided. 



Of all these roots, onions are the most limited. They will 

 not do well on sand, and on clay they grow all the year round 

 and do nothing. The only proper soil is a medium one, not 

 very light nor very heavy, a gravelly loam. So much for the 

 general requisites of soil. 



Preparation of the Soil. — If the land is at all moist for either 

 crop, underdrain it. If it abounds in twitch-grass or chick- 

 weed, it is wholly unfit for anything but a hoed crop. If it is 

 very weody, there is an immense amount added to the cost of 

 production. Very weedy soils should not be put to a bed crop, 

 unless the party is compelled to do it. Where the soil is very 

 weedy, it can be prepared by ploughing it in the fall, turning 

 over the land so early that the weeds will not have time to ger- 

 minate, then go on with the cultivator, and then throw it up 

 again. In this way you will get rid of a great deal of the weed 

 seed. That is the only method for bed crops, strawberries and 

 all such things, that require much care. It will be found best 

 to give them up entirely, or destroy all the weed seed possible 

 before planting. 



Freshly turned-up sod is not suited for the cultivation of 

 vegetables, except carrots and ruta-bagas. It is generally best 

 to put them on the third year. The first year, the land is too 

 rough ; the second year there is too much old, half-decayed 

 turf, for in handling these vegetables you want everything very 

 very fine. Carrots alone do very well, if the sod is entirely free 

 from twitch grass, planted the first year. Ruta-bagas do very 

 well on sod. 



Of Manure. — The amount of manure for all these bed crops 

 must be large. For beets, I should want somewhere about six 

 cords ; for turnips, from four to eight cords ; ruta-bagas ought 

 to have eight cords. I am stating the general rule. Of course, 

 the quantity of manure required will vary with the condition of 

 the land and the natural qualities of the soil itself. I consider 

 that clay land does not need so much as lighter land. Carrots, 

 eight to ten cords ; onions, from twelve to twenty cords. 



Now the best way in which to present this manure to plants 

 is in the form of compost, well fermented, and made very fine. 

 On the seacoast, where we go largely into these crops, we have 



