Gardening for Amateurs 



The Soil and its Cultivation 



SOIL is the name given to the mould 

 or earthy matter which is nearly al- 

 ways found on the surface of the 

 earth. It is the product of the disin- 

 tegration or breaking down of rocks by 

 natural agencies which have been work- 

 ing through countless ages with unceas- 

 ing toil, and now this soil forms a 

 useful means whereby man may raise his 

 food supplies or beautify his existence. No- 

 where is it of great depth ; in some parts 

 of the world it forms a thin layer only a 

 few inches above the rocks, while in others 

 it reaches to a depth of several feet. Dig 

 into the ground at any part, and you will 

 see the structure of the land. First, you 

 remove the fine mould, rich in decaying 

 vegetable matter, which is able to bear 

 crops ; below this comes the subsoil, more 

 or less solid, containing stones and no 

 humus. This stratum may reach to a great 

 depth, but eventually the spade strikes the 

 solid rock. The subsoil is the first product 

 of disintegration of the rocks, and the 

 true soil is the ultimate result of a long 

 series of changes carried out by Nature 

 and now assisted by man. 



Colour of Soils. Soil, then, being pri- 

 marily derived from rocks, varies with the 

 nature of those from which it was formed. 

 The different colours are easily noticeable ; 

 some soils are red, while other loams are 

 nearly black ; grey fields are common in 

 certain parts, while quite frequently we 

 get bluish land or yellow soil. The colour 

 of soil is of great importance in gardening, 

 for it must be remembered that dark soils 

 have the physical property of being able to 

 absorb the sun's rays much better, and 

 they lose heat less quickly than others. 

 They are warmer, therefore, and better 

 fitted for half-hardy plants ; they preserve 

 a more equable temperature, and a gar- 

 dener should always incorporate some dark 

 mould or humus with his light-coloured 

 soil ; his garden then becomes warmer and 

 a better nursery for delicate plants. 



Classification of Soils. Soils vary in 

 texture. This is perfectly obvious to every- 



one, for it may be fine or coarse, loose or 

 cohesive, and if the eye is not a reliable 

 guide some soil should be taken in the 

 hand and passed through the fingers. Two 

 main ingredients determine the classifica- 

 tion of soils sand and clay. Sand con- 

 sists of fine particles of rock, which will 

 not cohere, but remain, under all natural 

 conditions, loose and free. Clay, on the 

 other hand, is made up of extremely small 

 particles of silicious matter which cohere 

 tenaciously, forming with water a sticky, 

 putty - like mass almost impervious to 

 liquid. Both these substances in the pure 

 state are useless for horticulture. Sand 

 is too porous, and does not afford a good 

 rooting medium for plants ; clay, again, will 

 not allow water to pass through, and it 

 tends to cake or harden under a hot sun 

 until all roots perish through sterility or 

 because they cannot develop. 



What Loam is. Loam consists of these 

 substances mixed together, along with humus 

 or decaying organic matter in such a way 

 that neither predominates and a friable 

 mould is obtained, fairly easy to till, not 

 too porous, and affording a firm anchor 

 for the roots of all vegetation. A clayey 

 loam is such that the percentage of clay is 

 high ; it is called stiff or heavy, and re- 

 quires increased labour in working it ; it 

 can be rendered lighter and more open by 

 the addition of plenty of straw manure 

 when digging ; while house ashes, fine 

 cinders, road grit, and green manure all 

 afford ready and excellent means of bring- 

 ing it into a better state for gardening. 

 Clay soils contain much combined potash, 

 hence this manure should not be so freely 

 used on heavy land. Lime also assists in 

 the disintegration of the solid clay, removes 

 its plastic nature, and liberates the potash. 

 A sandy loam naturally contains much 

 sand, is very loose, and easily dried up, 

 so that it is termed light and open. Stiff 

 cow manure helps to render it more com- 

 pact and retentive of moisture, but with 

 soil of such a nature careful attention must 

 always be paid to watering. Lime, when 



