Gardening for Amateurs 



Improving Light Ground 



WHEX the garden soil is of a light, 

 porous, sandy nature, on which 

 crops suffer much during dry 

 weather, digging should not commence 

 until the end of January, and when the 

 work is being carried out something 

 ought to be done to bring the ground 

 into better tilth, to consolidate it, to make 

 it firmer and more compact in texture, thus 

 rendering it retentive of moisture. Now, 

 this is universally admitted, but some 

 gardeners forget that the upper spit is not 

 the one which requires most attention ; 



is a suitable width, and the soil which is 

 removed should be wheeled to the other 

 end of the border and kept for filling up the 

 last trench (A). In the trench thus exposed 

 spread a thick layer of good, moist cow or 

 pig manure, soft vegetable refuse, or anything 

 that will form a damp mass for binding the 

 loose soil together a barrow-load to 6 or 8 

 yards of trench (B). Dig this in, not merely 

 burying it, but mixing the manure uniformly 

 with the subsoil, then tramp it over a little 

 further to consolidate the mass (c). Now 

 dig another trench similar to and alongside 



Showing the best treatment for light ground. See explanation in accompanying text. 



it is really the subsoil, or second spit, which 

 should be specially treated, for no matter 

 what kind of surface compost we manage 

 to secure, as long as the subsoil immediately 

 below is porous, the garden will not benefit 

 as it should do by the labour which has 

 been spent on it. Turn aside the top spit 

 and devote every energy to rendering the 

 second spit firm and more impervious to 

 moisture - 



A Novel Method. Thorough treatment 

 is not very easy if digging is carried out in 

 the ordinary way. A good plan is as follows : 

 Dig a trench from 6 to 10 inches deep, 

 according to whether shallow rooting or 

 deep rooting plants will be grown ; 2 feet 



the first, placing the soil on top of the sub- 

 soil already treated in the first trench ; 

 repeat the operation with this second trench, 

 and continue the processes until the whole 

 border has been treated. 



A few weeks before planting, the top spit 

 may be lightly forked over, and some manure 

 added ; treated in the above way the soil 

 is not in absolute need of further organic 

 matter, though if nice short dung is avail- 

 able this can be used ; a mixture of artificials 

 at the rate of 2 to 4 ounces per square yard 

 is quite a rich and active fertiliser for the 

 top spit. In the semi-droughts of April and 

 May roots will pierce the loose upper layer 

 and soon reach the enriched subsoil. 



