520 



Gardening for Amateurs 



the land by allowing water to pass through 

 it easily and wash away its nutritive ele- 

 ments. Soils when dug ought to be left 

 lumpy and rough to expose a large area to 

 frost, sun, and rain, all of which help to 

 pulverise the mass and reduce it to fine 

 mould. Never dig in wet weather, and in 

 going over the garden a second time in order 

 to prepare the soil for cropping, use a fork 

 for mixing, breaking up, and ameliorating 

 the part on the surface. 



Necessity for Trenching. If soil is 

 continually dug to the same depth there 

 comes a time when a hard cake forms at 

 the bottom called a " pan." This consists 

 of a crust composed of firm soil and mineral 

 substances, washed through the looser sur- 

 face ground, and through this crust roots 

 cannot pass ; in fact, roots are often injured 

 by the mineral constituents of the pan. 

 Root development is therefore limited by 

 this, and as rain can only pass through the 

 crust with difficulty in wet weather water 

 stagnates near the surface and has dele- 

 terious effects upon all roots. Deeper 

 tillage, then, is necessary at intervals. In 

 digging old pasture land for the first time 

 trenching is necessary to assist drainage, 



aerate the soil, and bury the turf so as to 

 stifle surface plants. 



How to Trench. Trenching may be 

 carried out in two ways. In one method, 

 bastard trenching, the garden is dug over to 

 a depth of two spits ; in the other, deep 

 trenching, the soil is broken up to a depth 

 of three spits at least. Manure can be added 

 during trenching as well as when digging ; 

 we never recommend burying the manure 

 too deeply, but it may quite well be mixed 

 with the first, and even with the second 

 spit. 



Trenching means that the soil is greatly 

 refreshed by being turned over and broken 

 up or ameliorated. By increasing the depth 

 of cultivation it provides a free run for root 

 development ; it facilitates drainage and 

 assists the process of decomposition con- 

 tinually going on in all soils. No stagnant 

 water checks the growth of plants, while 

 seedlings are healthier and hardier by being 

 grown in this warm, refreshed medium. 

 When trenching pasture land, bury the turf 

 two spits deep ; it will there decay and 

 become available at the next trenching 

 operation. If possible trenching should be 

 carried out every three years. 



Glovers and Weeds on the Lawn. 



The middle of February is the proper time 

 to treat lawns infested with clovers and 

 weeds. Sulphate of ammonia is the best 

 antidote for these, and its use will bring up 

 the grass while checking the undesirable 

 plants. The more active nitrate of soda 

 should not be applied until March ; sulphate 

 of iron is useful for eradicating moss and 

 weeds. To make lawn sand any of these 

 substances are mixed with sea sand or with 

 ordinary sand. Grind \ Ib. of sulphate of 

 iron (green copperas) into powder ; add to 

 it 1 Ib. of sulphate of ammonia, also finely 

 ground, then mix these thoroughly with 8 Ib. 

 of fine sand, and an excellent lawn sand pre- 

 paration is secured. Four ounces per square 

 yard is a good dressing to apply, but when 

 weeds are plentiful increase this amount, or, 

 better still, drop a pinch of the mixture in 

 the heart of each weed. (This is slow work, 

 but quite feasible on a small lawn.) Re- 



member that grass cannot be spontaneously 

 produced by such substances, and patches 

 which are monopolised by weeds must be 

 dug up and sown or returfed. 



Pecan or Peccan Nut. Inquiries have 

 been made by correspondents on several 

 occasions regarding a dessert nut which is 

 sometimes offered for sale under the above 

 name. It is of American origin, and is the 

 fruit of a tree belonging to the Southern 

 United States. The tree in question is one 

 of the Hickories (Carya olivaeformis), some- 

 times grown as an ornamental tree in this 

 country, though too tender for general 

 planting. The nuts are much esteemed in 

 America, and during the last few years have 

 become popular in this country. They are 

 about the size and shape of a nutmeg, and 

 very similar to the Walnut. The shell is 

 thin, and the kernel somewhat oily, with a 

 pleasant flavour. They might well be used 

 more frequently. 



