The Soil of the Garden 59 
hairs are able to push in among the soil granules and 
particles. But a hard, compact soil may be as difficult 
for the tiny roots to penetrate as solid rock. In such a 
compact soil, moreover, there are no spaces (or only small 
places) between the soil particles for air, and air is neces- 
sary for the roots as well as for the other parts of the 
plant (pages 32 and 51). 
Land that has not been in cultivation recently is often 
hard and compact. This is especially true of the soils 
of backyard plots, vacant lots that have been much 
trampled over, and areas that have been poorly drained. 
The particles are pressed together, and the air spaces are 
squeezed out. No gardener would think of planting 
seed in such a soil without first preparing it by tillage. 
But even a well-tilled soil tends to become compact 
from one season to another. It is constantly settling 
and becoming more solid. If one tramples much about 
the garden, the soil will become more compact, as may 
readily be noted from the condition in the paths. 
Keeping the soil in good condition. Plowing and spad- 
ing are the chief means of getting and keeping the soil in 
good condition. When possible, large gardens should be 
plowed, but most smaller gardens must be spaded. The 
best tool for this work is a four-tined spading fork. 
In spading, most good gardeners follow the trench or 
furrow method. The soil is dug to a depth of at least 
6 inches, turned over, and thrown forward, leaving a 
trench into which the next strip of soil is thrown. 
Manure, sods, leaves, and other coarse vegetable mate- 
rials can be placed in the trench and well covered with 
earth; but it is best to spade the coarser materials 
