418 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



feet high at Kew. Mine however was blanchftd about two and an half 

 feet and resembled the whitest ivory, and was deliciously crisp and tender. 



My father, who was the professor of astronomy and natural philosophy, 

 in the University of Yale, always rose about 5 o'cIocIj, A. M., and went 

 into his garden, and I with him. He used to say constantly, nature pro- 

 vides for plants and animals all they want, but the provision must be 

 gathered together for the plaiits ! animals go for it, plants must have it 

 brought to them ; and all the elements of our earth constitute their food ! 

 They want disintegrated rocks, sand, clay, mineral, animal and vegetable 

 remains, rain, electricity, snow, heat, clouds, wind, shade, light, and all 

 operating on at least two feet deep, of perfectly pulverized soil. Then a 

 cucumber and a pepper, a crab-apple and a sugar plant, standing on the 

 same square yard, can draiv on the soil all each wants, hot or cold, sour 

 or sweet, from every square foot. 



And science knows nothing about the ultima ratio of it, and never can 

 know ; for in every atom of vegetable and animal life, it is creation by 

 God alone ; and I found by experience, that every square yard on a garden, 

 was better suited to some one plant than any other. I always grew noble 

 celery plants in at least half shade. France says, clouds help some of us 

 by shading fields occasionally. 



Mr. Thompson, of New York, said that his father plants one-half to one 

 inch deep, and does not hill the corn. 



Mr. Pardee. — If we understand fully the nature of the soil, we may work 

 intelligently. Soils often are very various in the same field. One of the 

 reasons of failures of crops is because we have neglected something that is 

 needful. Many persons think that if the surface is pulverized and manured, 

 it must produce a good crop. Many city dwellers spend much money to 

 make gardens, and add abundance of crude manure, and then wonder that 

 plants will not grow perfectly. I would never use stable manure in a 

 garden until it is most thoroughly decomposed or liquefied. I wanted 

 potash in my soil, and that I added by using unleached ashes. So I have 

 used lime, salt and bone-dust, but never crude manures. 



Mr. Meigs. — Torrello, of Italy, some three hundred years ago, taught 

 the tilling of land eight times before planting, to be as good as manure. 



Peter G. Bergen, of Long Island. — With horse manure, you may put it 

 on crude in the fall, and take all the leakings into the soil, during the win- 

 ter, and then, if you like, rake it all off" in the spring. We have soil on 

 Long Island, that would never be benefited by digging it over and over. 

 As to the planting, it depends altogether upon the nature of the soil, 

 whether the holes should be dug large and deep. One old gardener insists 

 that all stone fruit, planted with a flat stone under the tap-root, a littlo 

 below the surface, will do much better than in any other way. 



Mr. Pardee. — If we put stable manure on the surface, we shall get the 

 •weed seeds into the soil ; and that is my objection to stable manure for 

 gardens. Weeds and grass are particularly objectionable in strawberry 

 beds. You cannot get them out without iojuring the plant. I keep my 



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