60 Gardening 



under only in autumn. Special pains should be taken 

 to pulverize thoroughly all the soil to the depth spaded. 

 If it turns over in large lumps, these should be broken 

 up by hammer-like blows of the fork or with the rake. 

 It pays to do this work well. 



Plowing or spading in autumn, as well as in spring, 

 is advisable for all soils that tend to be compact or to be 

 lumpy. The soil is left in the rough, with no attempt to 

 take or level it down to a smooth surface. The action 

 of the frost on the exposed lumps gives a finer crumb 

 structure. 



The gardener can also improve the physical condition 

 of soils by the addition of certain materials. Heavy 

 clay soils are benefited by addition of coarse vegetable 

 matter, as poorly rotted manure, leaves, and grass clip- 

 pings. It is well to add these in autumn so that the till- 

 age in the following spring will mix them well with the 

 soil. The addition of sand or lime will also make com- 

 pact and lumpy soils more finely granular. Sandy 

 soils tend to be so loose that they dry out too readily ; 

 this condition is improved by the addition of well-rotted 

 humus and manure. 



Careful treatment required for clay soil. Clay soils 

 tend to become compact and to break up into coarse 

 granules or clods when tilled. If such a soil is too dry 

 when spaded, it is lumpy. If it is too wet, it will be 

 made lumpy. No soil should be spaded except when it is 

 dry enough to crumble readily when rolled in the hands. 

 An easy way to test this is to squeeze a small handful of 

 the soil into the form of a ball, quite as one makes a 

 snowball (Fig. 39). If it sticks together in a ball and 



