358 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



be not disturbed, does much good as well as renders the soil 

 porous, loose, and neat. 



Hoeing produces similar results, and is admirable spring 

 and summer work. It is chiefly performed to destroy summer 

 weeds, but in every case as soon as seeds, crops, or plants 

 generally have made visible growth the hoe should be freely 

 used about and amongst them, as it is of great importance 

 to keep a loose, light, and, of course, clean surface of soil, as 

 in such case the soil beneath dries far less rapidly than is the 

 case when left unhoed. Hoeing is most valuable summer soil 

 culture, and should be constantly performed. 



Manuring. This term simply means that plants, like 

 animals, have to be fed. But whilst animals partake of food 

 through their mouths, plants do so through their roots. The 

 soil is their dining-room, and it is a good one when it contains 

 plenty of plant food. All plants have more or less similar 

 methods of taking up food. They have on their roots, and 

 generally on their smaller or fibrous roots, minute hairs, and 

 these have throats or hollow trunks through which they absorb 

 in liquid form all the foods or manures put into the soil for 

 plants to exist on. We know, too, by experience and obser- 

 vation, how beneficial manure is to crops. Who walking over 

 a meadow has not noticed that where animal excrement has 

 fallen there the grass becomes strong and vigorous. The 

 same may be seen in a field of corn, or where manure shot 

 down from a cart has remained a few weeks before being 

 spread, as that particular spot always produces the strongest 

 corn. In the garden we have found, by adding to the soil 

 manure from stables, cow-sheds, pig-styes, or fowl-houses, 

 or any decayed vegetable matter, such as leaves, or of soot 

 or salt, that vegetation is always more robust than where 

 no such dressing is given. Observation has shown that to 

 have good crops we must supply plants with manures, or, to 

 use the proper term, plant foods. Then all these manures, 

 no matter whether they be of animal, or vegetable such as 

 rotten leaves, or mineral such as guano, nitrate of soda, 

 kainit, salt, &c., must be easy to dissolve when brought into 

 contact with the moisture of the air and earth. Thus there 

 are what are termed soluble manures that is, those which soon 

 or in a few months become dissolved. Insoluble manures 

 are such as bones in an unbroken state, yet bones broken up 

 fine or steamed soft become first-rate plant food. 



Plants cannot eat or use the soil as food, as that is purely 

 mineral and insoluble, but they do live on the soluble ele- 

 ments found in soils, and as a rule, especially in gardens, these 

 must be put there by the gardener. Scientifically we know that 



