12 FARM-GARDENING AND SEED-GROWING. 



allow the moisture to ascend in dry weather, as to descend 

 in wet weather, and while draining may assist the latter, 

 it can never fully accomplish the former; hence, the pre- 

 ference for natural to made land. The preparations 

 should be made, so far as possible, in the fall. The 

 ground should be plowed, thoroughly harrowed, and 

 smoothed off with the back of the harrow, where early 

 planting is to be done, as the water passes away easier 

 from an even surface, and the soil is sooner dry in the 

 spring, but such land as is intended for later crops may 

 be left without harrowing. Fallow ground should be 

 taken for sowing seeds on, but sward land may be used 

 for such crops as are to be worked with the cultivator, 

 provided it can be plowed in August, and again plowed 

 and thoroughly harrowed late in the fall. Land lying 

 nearly level with a southern aspect is to be preferred. 

 The beds may be laid out of any size, but should not be 

 short, or too much time will be consumed in turning 

 while plowing. A convenient size is ten yards wide and 

 one hundred and twenty yards long, containing very 

 nearly one quarter of an acre. A narrow headland should 

 be left at each end, for driving on and for turning when 

 plowing. If pains are taken to lay out the lands straight 

 in the start, they may always be kept so with very little 

 trouble. 



MANURES AND MANURING. 



Without fertilizers to enrich the soil, alj. attempts to 

 grow vegetables or seeds will be in vain ; in fact, liberal 

 manuring and careful attention to growing crops are the 

 two most essential points in the business. 



Stable manure has always been considered the best, and 

 is now the standard fertilizer with market-gardeners, al- 

 though others are -used to some extent. Farmers who 

 have been in the habit of using from ten to twenty loads 



