May, 1915. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



125 



Preparing the Vegetable Plot 



I 



H. J. Moore, Queen Victoria 



THE pi-eparatiou of the soil for the 

 suuisequenit planting of vege- 

 table crops is one of a serdes of 

 important and interesting operatioins 

 of which aJl have their uses, and upon 

 which depends success in the culture of 

 any garden crop. When the soil is ' 

 thoroughly pulverized in advance of 

 planting, then, and then only, will it 

 be possible to harvest abundant crops 

 of first quality. A soil that is but half 

 dug or merely scratched with a disc 

 or cultivator will not produce maxi- 

 mum crops of any kind. Tap rooted 

 crops like carrots, parsnips, beets and 

 turnips, will invariably fail. If tap 

 rooted crops are to be grown to per- 

 fection, that is, to exhibition quality 

 and shape, the soil must be thoroughly 

 and deeply worked, the necessary ma- 

 nure being incorporated during the 

 operation. 



Fall is the best time to dig or plough 

 vacant lots or gardens previously un- 

 cropped, as during winter the sod will 

 partly decompose and so supply or- 

 ganic matter or humus. If this was 

 not done last fall the alternative is to 

 plough or dig at once, burying the sod 

 about a foot deep. It is not well, how- 

 ever, to plant many varieties of vege- 

 ta'bles upon a lot broken for the 

 first time and previously unculti- 

 vated, therefore plant potatoes and a 

 few cabbages and so obtain good crops. 

 Potatoes do well upon freshly broken 

 ground. 



The houselhoMer must take the soil 

 as he finds it. He must remember, 

 however, tlhat upon its phj'sioal condi- 

 tion depends the treatment it ought to 

 receive. A heavy clay must be light- 

 ened and aerated, a light sand should, 

 by the addition of good soil and or- 

 ganic matter in the form of mamire, be 

 made mor(« retentive of moisture, and 

 so more productiive. Many garden 

 soils are too heavy or too light to be 

 profitably cropped. There is, however, 

 a way of making even the worst kind 

 of soil yield good returns, namely, 

 trenching. Many gardens Avould prove 

 a source of greater remuneratio'n and 

 pleasure to their owners were they 

 trenched in the making, and subse- 

 quently every fooirth year. By this 

 operation it is possible to deepen and 

 to aerate the tilth, thus favoring the 

 admission of warmth and oxygen, and 

 the conversion of many poisonous sub- 

 stances into plant foods. 



Trenching. 

 Having selected your lot or portion 

 of land to be cropped, spread rotted 

 manure over its entire surface, dig out 

 a trench three feet wide and about fif- 

 teen inches deep, and deposit the soil 



Park, Niagara Falls, Ont. 



from the excavation at the far end of 

 the plot in a straight line, to be used in 

 filling the final trench. With a garden 

 line mark off another three feet, and 

 invert the top spit into the trench. 

 Now if the lower spit or subsoil is verj' 

 heavy simply invert it one spade deep 

 in the bottom of the trench, at the same 

 time mixing in a considerable quan- 

 tity of manure. Upon this again iu- 

 vext the surface soil, repeating the 

 operation until tihe work is complete. 

 In this inamner you will deepen your 

 tilth and render it more fertile, in fact 

 sometimes to such an extent that when 

 you again undertake to trench your 

 ground the lower spit may be safely re- 

 moved and deposited on the surface. 



In proper trenching the lower spit or 

 subsoil is brought to the surface, the 

 surface soil being deposited in the bot- 

 tom of the trench. It is a practice to 

 l)e commended wherever the subsoil is 

 not likely to deleteriously affect tlhe 

 crops. In any ease, however, under 

 the influence of sunshine and air 

 coupled with cultural operations even 

 a poisonous subsoil may be so amelior- 

 ated and improved as to produce the 

 best of crops. 



When trenching always pare the sod 

 and weeds from the surface and bury 

 them in the bottom of the trench. Keep 

 the trenches straight by means of the 

 line ; this will ensure every square inch 

 being thoroughly worked and will give 

 the appearance of neatness which char- 

 acterizes the true gardener. Always 

 have a barrow or box at hand to re- 



ceive tap rooted weeds like dandelions, 

 or other undesirables, such as couch 

 grass (twitch or spear grass), or wild 

 convolvulus, also sticks and stones. It 

 is a cleanly and economic practice, as 

 apairt from appearance it precludes 

 much labor in collecting these things 

 when the work of trenching is finished. 

 All harmful weeds should be burned, 

 otherwise they are liable to reappear. 



Whether you have thoroughly 

 trenched or simply dug your lot in the 

 ordinary way v-ou will now be con- 

 cerned with the seed bed. Seeds of all 

 kinds require a well worked and finely 

 ■broken soil. Break every clod, not 

 merely upon the surface, but through- 

 out the entire tilth (that portion which 

 plants grow in). It is thus better to 

 fork rat'her than spade .the area to re- 

 ceive the seeds, especially the smaller 

 kinds. 



A small quantity of finely screened 

 wood ashes, or stable manure, will oft- 

 times greatly benefit seedlings, if 

 worked into the soil. It is, however, 

 unwise to apply soluble, artificial or 

 special manures to the seed bed or to 

 small seedlings which are intended as 

 transplants. For permanent crops the 

 soil should be richly manured. In this 

 category are carrots, turnips, beets, 

 parsnips, peas, beans and similar crops. 

 These occupy their positions from seed 

 time till harvest, and are, therefore, 

 dependent upon the soil in which they 

 are originally sown. Transplants are 

 not. The reader should bear in mind 

 that the degree of success in garden- 

 ing is measured In' the degree of thor- 

 oughness exercised in the preparation 

 of the garden to receive its subjects. 



Anemone (2) thalictrioide.s (Rue Anemone), domesticated, and growing: in a Hamilton garden. 



