1030 
It may be difficult for a perfect igno- 
ramus to tell by looking at a piece of 
land whether it is drained enough or not. 
Yet a good deal can be told by observa- 
tion. If water stands in pools on the 
surface for any length of time after a 
rainstorm, it indicates that the drainage 
is poor. If the soil is left very hard and 
brick-like when it dries out after a rain, 
petter drainage is required. 
The best way to secure drainage where 
such treatment is required is by means 
of porous drain tiles. These must be fur- 
nished with some satisfactory outlet, 
either into the sewer or open ditch. They 
should be laid through the soil at a 
depth of two to four feet, and the branch 
drains in the small garden should be 
thirty feet apart. 
Good drainage is essential to success 
with a fruit garden. 
Preparation of the Soil 
Considerable care will be needed to 
prepare an unsuitable suburban lot for a 
successful amateur garden. In many 
cases the city dweller or suburbanite is 
compelled to make the soil first. Per- 
haps he has to buy it. In case the place 
has no good soil on the surface, it will 
be necessary to get a supply, even though 
it has to be bought from contractors. 
For our purposes we need a strong, grav- 
elly soil, without too much clay. If we 
can get surface soil containing vegetable 
matter, humus and loam, so much the 
better. 
The best preparation to be given to 
soil comes through drainage and cultiva- 
tion. The ideal way to prepare the gar- 
den is to spade it up deeply—just as 
deeply as possible. This work should be 
done early in the spring. Then the land 
should be planted with some crop which 
will make a vigorous growth. Cow peas, 
soy beans, crimson clover and buckwheat 
are the best crops, each one having its 
particular advantages. Any one of these 
will add humus and life to the soil. Sup- 
pose a crop of this sort has been grown 
the first year; it will be allowed to stand 
through the winter and will be plowed 
or spaded in the following spring. The 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
second year the ground should be plant- 
ed to some crop requiring high cultiva- 
tion, such as beets, cabbage or potatos. 
A liberal allowance of barnyard manure 
should be given, and the hoe and cultiva- 
tor frequently applied. The third year 
the ground will be in excellent condition 
for planting. This program will be ef- 
fective on everything except the most re- 
fractory soils. On better land the prep- 
aration may be reduced to a single year, 
and on good land the soil may be dug up 
and planted to fruit trees the first year. 
Plant Food 
Backyard lots are apt to be deficient in 
available plant food. There are usually 
enough chemicals in the soil to grow 
trees, but they are not accessible and di- 
gestible. The deficiency is to be made 
good with fertilizer. In beginning the 
garden, no fertilizer can be compared 
with well-rotted barnyard manure. This 
should be used liberally. A garden 50 
feet square would usually be able to use 
two cords of stable fertilizer to good ad- 
vantage at the beginning of its cultiva- 
tion, and might have one cord annually 
for the first two or three years. 
As soon as the work is well under 
way, soil in good condition, and the 
trees beginning to make some growth, 
the amount of barnyard manure should 
be materially reduced, or cut off alto- 
gether. At the same time, the amount 
of chemical fertilizer should be increased. 
For smaller gardens it will be found 
best to buy ready-mixed fertilizers, de- 
pending a good deal on the advice of the 
best dealers. Such dealers can supply 
mixtures suitable for fruit trees and are 
willing to give information regarding 
amounts to be used, times of application, 
ete. 
Getting the Trees 
Varieties to be planted should be se- 
lected, as far as possible, on the basis of 
the gardener’s own taste, corrected only 
by what you are able to learn regarding 
their probable success in the locality. Of 
course, if you know nothing about the 
different varieties of peaches, plums or 
apples, you would better consult the ex- 
