April.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 3^3 



as a desire in many to have their crops at as early a period as pos- 

 sible, either for sale or family use; and also for the general accom- 

 modation of the more southerly states, that month being their 

 principal season for gardening. But, in the eastern states gene- 

 rally, and in such parts of the middle states as the ground is 

 naturally of a binding and heavy nature, this will be the most 

 eligible period for sowing their general garden crops; always ob- 

 serving to sow the hardy kinds as early in the month as the soil, 

 season, and situation will admit of, in order that the young plants 

 may be established before they are overtaken by the summer heat 

 and drought; but never, nor on any account, should a stiff or moist 

 ground be wrought till it gets so dry as to fall to pieces in the 

 working, nor delayed till it binds and becomes hard. Let the spade 

 not be applied till every particle of water, that is not in contact 

 with the clay, is either drained away or drawn oft" by the air; nick 

 that time and you will then find the earth to work freely, and not 

 subject to bind afterwards; for if a clay is worked before this criti- 

 cal period it kneads like dough, becomes more tough, and never 

 fails to bind when drought follows, which not only prevents the 

 seed to rise, but injures the plants materially in their subsequent 

 growth by its becoming impervious to the moderate rains, dews, 

 air, and influence of the sun, which are all necessary to the pro- 

 motion of vegetation. 



On the other hand, a light sandy soil will be rather benefitted by 

 working it when moist, as such will have a tendency to make it 

 more compact, and consequently more retentive of moisture. 



The nearer the ground approaches to a sand the less retentive 

 will it be of moisture; the more to a clay the longer will it retain 

 it; and the finer the particles of which the clay is composed, the 

 faster will it hold every small particle of water, and consequently 

 be longer in drying, and become harder when dry; but earth of a 

 consistence that will hold water the longest, without becoming hard 

 when dry, is that of all others the best adapted for raising the 

 generality of plants in the greatest perfection. This last described 

 is called loam, and is a medium earth between the extremes of 

 clay and sand. 



The great art of improving sandy and clay soils, is to give to the 

 former such dressings of clay, cow-dung, and other kinds of 

 manure, as will have a tendency to bind and make it more compact, 

 and consequently more retentive of moisture; and to the latter, 

 coats of sandy earth, pond-mud, horse-dung, and such other com- 

 posts as may tend to separate its particles and open its pores, there- 

 by easily to discharge any superabundance of moisture, and cause 

 it to approach as near as possible to a loam, which may be greatly 

 assisted by summer and winter fallowing; for the winter frost, and 

 summer heat, being the plough and spade of nature, have a power 

 to separate the particles of earth, by the expansion of the particles 

 of water lodged between, and in contact with them, more effectu- 

 ally than the ploughs and spades made by the hand of man; but 

 when art and nature act in co-operation, the business is more 

 speedily accomplished. This is the foundation stone of horticulture 



