50 GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



lawns, the color of the grass will indicate very exactly 

 the greater or less depth of the soil. The depth of soils 

 may be increased by subsoil plowing, or trenching. 



Trenching is the old mode of improving the depth of 

 the soil in smaller gardens, and is usually performed in 

 this manner: At one end of the plot to be trenched dig 

 with the spade a trench three feet wide and two feel 

 deep; throw the earth out on the side away from the plot 

 to be trenched. Shovel the bottom clean, and make the 

 sides perpendicular, leaving a clear open trench across 

 the plot. Open another trench the same width, and put 

 the surface spadeful of that into the bottom of the former 

 trench, and the next spadeful upon that, until open to 

 the same depth as the first one, adding meanwhile the 

 necessary manures and amendments. When the plot is 

 entirely trenched in this way, the last trench will remain 

 open, which must be filled with the earth thrown out from 

 the first one, which finishes the work. This method is 

 now seldom resorted to, since the same ends are secured 

 by the use of the subsoil plow with very much less expen- 

 diture of labor and time 



Subsoil Plowing. — A common turning plow goes first, 

 and plows as deep a furrow as practicable. It is followed 

 by the subsoil plow in the same furrow, which should 

 loosen the soil, without turning it up, to the depth of 

 eighteen or twenty inches, unless it is a stiff clay or 

 gravel. If the soil requires the application of organic 

 matter, it is best to apply it before the deep plowing is 

 done; or the organic matter may be secured by first pre- 

 paring the land well and sowing in cowpeas or fieldpeas 

 and turning under. This is one of the best ways of en- 

 riching the land, and should be always adopted where 

 the land is poor. 



