l6 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK 



often produce enough for average needs. Intensive 

 culture will accomplish wonders on even a tiny plat. 

 PLOWING. The time to plow depends upon cir- 

 cumstances. Early spring is the usual time, although 

 fall-plowing has advantages when the ground is 

 soddy or badly infested with wireworms, cutworms, 

 grubs, etc. How deep to plow ? As deep as you can 

 without bringing up much of the subsoil. (Subsoil 

 plowing requires a separate plowing with a special 

 kind of a plow designed to loosen up the lower strata 

 without bringing it to the surface; few gardeners, 

 however, go to this extra trouble and expense, if 

 they have a deep, mellow, well-drained soil. But 

 subsoiling frequently pays. It need not be done 

 oftener than once in two years.) 



Never work soil when it is very wet and sticky; 



wait until it dries into crumbly, workable condition. 



TRENCHING AND RIDGING. To trench a strip of 



ground means to throw off the topsoil, spade up the 



subsoil, and then replace the topsoil. It's a great 



deal of work, and not 

 always so necessary as 

 some of the old-fash- 

 ioned books taught. 

 For hard, shallow soils, 

 or for deep-rooting 

 :rops like carrots, etc., 

 it certainly brings good 

 results. Subsoiling is the 



AFTER HARROWING, SMOOTH THE eorr , fi iViitirr rr a r-t iVnllir 

 GROUND. THIS IS ONE WAY TO DO IT SamC thm g> P^CtlCally, 



but it s done with a 

 plow, and is therefore easier in large gardens. 



Ridging land usually means to fall-plow it into 

 ridges or beds, so that depressions ("dead fur- 

 rows") occur, say, about every ten feet. Surface 



