36 



VEGETABLE GARDENING. 



in the chemical composition of the soil, and alters 

 its behaviour with regard to the crop it carries. 

 There must be a constant drain upon the soil re- 

 sources along the lines of the special requirements of 

 that crop, annually reducing to a minimum certain 

 essential plant foods, while others accumulate to a 

 wasteful and harmful degree. 



Vegetables should be arranged in groups, and each 

 crop, or group of crops, should be followed with one 

 making somewhat different demands on the soil, and 

 leaving it in the best condition for its successor. 

 This is the fundamental principle in all rotation of 

 crops, which, if carried out intelligently, will keep the 

 soil in a better balanced condition, improve the 

 quantity and quality of the crops, increase the re- 

 turns from manures applied, and reduce the risks of 

 attack by insect pests and fungoid diseases. 



The following table, in which only the principal 

 vegetable crops are included, will act as a guide in 

 carrying out a system of rotation, and in applying 

 fertilisers to particular crops : 



Other, and less common, vegetables would fit into 

 one or other of these groups, according to the nature 



