MAKING BEDS AND BORDERS 75 



planted, and the plants have become estab- 

 lished in the borders, it is not possible to resort 

 to trenching again without removing all the 

 plants; hence the necessity for doing the work 

 thoroughly in the first instance. 



With beds and groups of beds of compact 

 shape, trenching as just described is hardly 

 practicable. The better method is first to 

 remove the top-spit over the whole surface 

 of the bed, heaping it close at hand; then to 

 do the same with the lower layer, making a 

 separate heap of it; after which the bottom 

 should be forked over and the soil thrown back, 

 mixing well together that from the two separate 

 heaps. A due proportion of manure should 

 be added, as in ordinary trenching. 



Thus far these directions apply to soils which 

 are naturally well fitted for the gardener. With 

 too light or too heavy soils some tempering 

 material must be added, and this is best done 

 when the beds and borders are being formed. 



On heavy clay soils we may use sand, fine 

 gravel, ashes, and vegetable matter. It is 

 an excellent plan, not often adopted, I fear, 

 to make the lowest layer of brick rubbish, with 

 ashes overlying. 



