THE MANSE GARDEN. 127 



do, but no labour or expense will be so well repaid 

 as that which is employed in obtaining a depth of 

 two feet. This may not be practicable at the first 

 trenching, but let this be your aim, and your plans 

 may easily be directed to its ultimate attainment. 

 Suppose at the first you have only one foot of good 

 soil, and a wretched clay, or till, or mere gravel, 

 beneath ; in that case put down all the good soil, and 

 bring up only six inches of the bad. This being 

 wrought, in the course of future digging, into com- 

 bination with an equal part of the buried stratum, 

 will be greatly improved. After a few years bring 

 up, by a second trenching, other six inches of the 

 subsoil, which, in its turn, will be incorporated with 

 the remaining half of the surface earth at first de- 

 posited, and you will then have a soil of one char- 

 acter throughout all its depth of two feet, and ade- 

 quate to all the purposes of good gardening. 



Many resources may be had for helping the under 

 stratum when first exposed. Besides the necessary 

 and common expedients of dung and lime, a great deal 

 of earth may be gathered without causing damage by 

 its removal- as in the formation of gravel walks, in 

 which case a very considerable depth of loose stones 

 may be substituted for excellent soil, or in the clear- 

 ing of ditches, or making an excavation for a sunk 

 fence, or for some bit of road leading to a field, and 

 where the surface mould, being generally kept in a 

 puddled condition, is there an inconvenience and of 

 no use whatever. A great deal, in most cases, might 

 thus be collected, and often would be were its value 

 justly appreciated. Such heaps, when mingled with 

 lime in the proportion of one of lime to six of earth. 



