THE 
41 SOIL 
Unless you want to grow pears and plums— 
which thrive in clayey soil—break up the clayey 
earth and improve its texture in every way. 
Your garden will repay you, and you won’ 
go about denouncing those who have written 
books about the possibilities of small areas as 
wilful deceivers of the guileless and unwary. 
Get it firmly fixed in your mind to start with, 
that, if your garden does not yield adequate 
returns upon your labor, the fault is yours. 
You are working unintelligently, and deserve 
no more than you are getting. To know your 
soil is to be able to give it the treatment it 
needs to make it fruitful. 
