106 THE AMATEURS’ GUIDE 
SITUATION OF THE GARDEN. 
A proper degree of shelter from cutting winds and full exposure 
to the sun should be secured. The ground should have a gentle 
declivity towards the south, inclining rather to the east, in order 
that it may receive the benefit of the morning sun. A northern 
exposure is unfavorable for general purposes, it being always cold 
and late. It must be admitted, however, that it is not without its 
advantages in summer, by retarding many kinds of vegetables 
which would otherwise mature their seed before they had acquired 
a size sufficient for culinary purposes. Salads, spinach, and cauli- 
flowers are brought to perfection in northern exposures, when they 
will make very slight progress if exposed to the full power of the 
sun. In such situations, peas and many other vegetables yield 
more abundantly during the hot summer months, particularly in 
dry seasons. There should never be any trees of a considerable 
height on the south side of a garden, for, during the winter and 
early in the spring, they shade the garden when every sunbeam is 
valuable. On the east side also the trees should be removed, so 
as to admit the early morning rays of the sun. 
PROPERTIES OF SOIL. 
The soil best adapted for general garden purposes should be of a 
rich loamy texture, dry, mellow, and capable of being worked at 
all seasons, and from two to three feet deep. A loam of a mid- 
dling texture, rather inclining to sand, will be found the most 
suitable for the majority of kitchen vegetables. If the soil be too 
strong, the roots of the plants push weakly into it, and are apt to 
canker and perish. If too light, and at the same time poor, the 
roots of vegetables will wander in search of food, and may be 
unable to collect a sufficient quantity for their support. Strong 
and stubborn clays should be avoided, being the most unfit of all 
