92 BOOK OF OLD-FASHIONED FLOWERS 



A E F D to a depth of one foot, wheeling this surface 

 soil to form a heap at B. Also dig to the same depth 

 the piece E G H F and add this soil to the heap at B. 

 Next remove the subsoil from the piece A E F D to the 

 depth of another foot, and wheel it to C. The deeper 

 subsoil in the piece A E F D should then be dug to a 

 depth of another foot and left in its old position. The 

 subsoil from E G H F to the depth of a foot should 

 now be placed with the spade onAEFD, and the deep 

 subsoil below it dug and left in situ. A layer of farm- 

 yard manure may next be placed on the A E F D, and 

 on this should be placed the top foot of soil from 

 G M N H. The subsoil from G M N H should next 

 be placed on E G H F, on this being placed a 

 layer of manure covered in turn by fresh top soil. 

 In this way the work should be proceeded with until 

 the last two feet of the patch are reached. The sub- 

 soil from / 5 C J^ is to be placed on the deep subsoil 

 oi K I J L, and on this a layer of manure covered 

 by one half of the surface soil in the heap at B. 

 The heap of subsoil at C and the remainder of 

 the surface soil at B are to be placed in the space 

 IBCL. 



This proceeding may strike the novice much as a 

 problem of Euclid strikes the mentally lazy, but the 

 importance of deep cultivation is so great that everyone 

 who would be a successful gardener should thoroughly 

 understand its practice. By the method of trenching 

 above described, the three layers of earth called here 

 soil, subsoil and deep subsoil are maintained in their 

 respective orders of depth, for nothing is more fatal 

 than to bury the "living earth" of the surface below 

 the reach of the roots of our plants, bringing to 

 the surface in its place the barren subsoil devoid 

 of humus and devoid of those living bacteria so 

 essential to the fertihty of the soil. By proper and 



