IMPBOTING THE SOIL 63 



In leaf -mould the gardener has a most valuable agent in rendering his 

 soil suitable for the cultivation of plants. When v^ell-rotted a little 

 leaf -mould may be mixed with almost any soil used for the production 

 of flowers, fruit, or vegetables, and some kinds are particularly fond of 

 it as a rooting medium. Its use is frequently mentioned in the cultural 

 operations in the body of the book. 



IMPEOVING THE SOIL 



No matter how rich or how poor a soil may be, it can always be 

 improved and rendered more fertile by various tillage operations. By 

 digging or trenching the soil it becomes not only finer in texture and 

 better mixed, but portions that were underneath before become exposed 

 to the action of the weather — rain, frost, heat, cold &c., all of which 

 produce important changes in it, making it as it were more digestible 

 and acceptable to the roots of plants. Wet land cannot be successfully 

 improved until means have been taken to drain away the water by 

 furrows, ditches or pipes, or in the case of flower borders by having the 

 bed filled with bricks, stones, rubble or some rough material through 

 which the water will pass. An excess of wetness in the soil causes it 

 to be cold, and the heat of the sun, instead of being used to promote 

 the growth of the plant, is absorbed by the water. Stagnant water in 

 the soil prevents the free access of air ; hence acids are generated and 

 bring about what is known as a sour condition. 



Digging. — This is one of the most important and necessary opera- 

 tions for bringing the soil into a fertile condition. It is usually 

 done with a spade or a fork, the object in view being to turn the upper 

 layer of the soil completely upside down, so that what was under- 

 neath shall be exposed to the action of the sun and air, frost, snow, 

 rain &c., and thus become more broken up and finer in texture. 



Digging requires the exercise not only of physical strength but also 

 of intelligence. Merely scraping the surface of the soil with the spade 

 or the fork is not digging at all, and is of very little benefit, although 

 to the uninitiated it may look quite as well on top as ground that has 

 been properly dug. The object aimed at, however, is the improvement 

 of the soil by crushing it, breaking it up, and completely inverting it. 

 The spade or fork should therefore be driven straight down, almost at 

 right angles, to the full length of the blade or tines, as the case may be, 

 so that a good ' spit ' or spadeful may be obtained. Where an odd man 

 is employed for digging purposes it should be seen that he drives the 

 tool straight down into the soil, as the more slanting the cut the quicker 

 the ground is got over, and the less good is done to it. Where, however, 



