392 NORFOLK SOCIETY. 



Spading. 



The committee appointed to award the premiums of the 

 Norfolk Agricultural Society for the best spading, have at- 

 tended to the duty assigned to them, and beg to present the 

 following report : — 



The practice of turning up the earth by some kind of an in- 

 strument, guided by the hand, resembling what we now call a 

 spade, is probably the most ancient and the most original 

 method of preparing the soil for the seed. 



But, like everything else in the world, the spade in the hand 

 of the thinking and industrious man, is quite a different in- 

 strument to what it is in that of the mere plodder, the thought- 

 less and careless laborer. 



Hence there exists such an idea in the philosophy of using 

 the spade, as well as one of fair comparison between its value 

 and that of the plough, or other instruments for tilling the land. 



There are two ways of commencing the operation of digging 

 a plot of ground. One is by opening a trench along one side 

 of the piece, and carrying the earth therefrom to a line paral- 

 lel on the other side, so that the soil from the second is turned 

 into the first trench. The other is by commencing at a corner 

 and digging along in diagonal lines, by which the labor of car- 

 rying the earth from the first trench is avoided. 



The spade should be pushed into the ground nearly, perhaps 

 not quite, perpendicularly, in parallel rows, the distance of 

 which from each other depending somewhat on the nature of 

 the soil ; in any case, however, not exceeding eight inches. It 

 should be carefully lifted and the load turned over, so that the 

 earth from below may lie on the top ; the large clogs should 

 be coarsely broken. 



Careless spading is when the spade is pushed down in a 

 slanting direction, say at an angle of about forty-five degrees ; 

 by this means the work is done in much less time, but the 

 earth is only stirred for the roots, &c., half as deep, and a 

 greater portion of the upper surface, which has been exhausted 

 by the previous crop, remains at the top. Sometimes, even, 

 the spade is only inserted half way down, and after giving it a 

 knowing twist, to loosen the soil, so that it may be raked even, 

 is again withdrawn. 



