THE SOIL 



The ideal location and the ideal soil are 

 exceptional, but we may approach the ideal by 

 working for it. The southern slope is the 

 best for early vegetables, since it gets the 

 early morning sun and if the soil is of a sandy 

 formation it warms up quickly. The northern 

 exposiu-e with a clay loam is best for late crops 

 in that it keeps cool, and this is important for 

 such crops as cabbage. A flat strip of land 

 is not at all objectionable and, if treated prop- 

 erly, it may be made to produce regardless 

 of the original type of soil. 



Clay. There are three different types of 

 clay — blue, yellow, and red, and no one of 

 them is desirable if very stiff. If a heavy 

 coating of straw manure is apphed late in the 

 fall and the soil is left in the rough clods after 

 plowing or spading, the frosts and snows work 

 wonders. The elements break up this stiff 

 soil and early in the spring the soil is again 

 worked over and made fine. Adding well de- 

 cayed manure in the fall is not generally ad- 

 vised because the available plant food will be 



15 



