166 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



root-base. TL.ey should be given at least once a 

 week during hot dry weather ; and so soon afterwards 

 as the soil becomes sufficiently dry, a deep hoeing to 

 the soil should follow. The latter process neutralises 

 the surface-caking, burning tendency of direct sun- 

 shine, and retains the water given within the soil. 

 Water exposed to the air is always preferable. 

 When, therefore, a pond or minor ponds can be 

 formed within the garden, as described elsewhere, 

 the advantage will be, as suggested, great. Surface 

 mulchings have dual advantages if given previous 

 to waterings. Manurial support is by their means 

 washed down to the roots during the waterings, 

 and there is more perfect retention of the water, 

 owing to a further neutralising of evaporation. All 

 artificial waterings should be applied during dull 

 weather, or else during the early morning or after- 

 noon. To water such plants even superficially at 

 mid-day under a hot sunshine may have injurious 

 effects. 



Summer Culture. — Hoeing and weeding, so in- 

 timately associated with watering and growth, though 

 such simple operations, are often performed very in- 

 judiciously. The whole should consist of one' and 

 the same operation, which, if timely and judiciously 

 done, is an immense aid to plant-growth. 



All cultivated plants develop wonderfully under 

 deep soil-stirring, or hoeing beside and around them. 

 Hence it is that during the whole period of growth 

 the surface soil should be kept quite free. This is 

 easily done by hoeing always so soon as the sur- 

 face is dry enough, following heavy rains. Proper 

 hoeing is to move the whole of the sm"face soil to a 

 depth of two to four inches. Simply scraping over 

 hard surfaces, in view of beheading or grinding off 

 weeds, is the very extreme of indifferent and bad 

 culture. Periodical hoeings, such as suggested, are 

 easy and agreeable work ; whereas neglect, whether 

 enforced or not, entails a most laborious process, as 

 it is inefficient in meeting the need in view. It 

 will be seen besides, by this system, weeds will only 

 exist in an occasional minute and unobserved form, 

 decreasing the chances of seeding, and all the sub- 

 sequent progeny of descendants. 



Cropping sj^stematically followed, or in other 

 words, rotation and change of crops, is of immense 

 advantage, not only because various crops take from 

 the soil distinct and separate constituents, but also 

 owing to the consideration that different sorts dis- 

 integrate and "work" the soil very variously. Some 

 are superficial, others deep-rooting, &c. By change, 

 therefore, profitable successions are insured. Thus 

 Peas follow Celery ; Cabbages, Onions ; Turnips, 

 Potatoes, &c. 



Kitchen gardeners are greatly behindhand by 



comparison with market-garden farmers in the pro- 

 duction of bulk from given spaces. Moderately thick 

 cropping is essential to profitable cropping. It has 

 merits beyond the actual margin of bulk obtained, 

 for it lessens labour. For instance : hardy Greens, 

 Cabbages, Broccoli, Turnips, &c., are planted or 

 sown so thickly as to insure, after one good hoe- 

 ing, that the leaves meet sufficiently to deter the 

 growth of weeds, and thereby maintain more mois- 

 ture in the ground beneath than is possible when 

 the soil on either side is more or less bare. 



This fact has some bearing in connection with 

 all minor succulent vegetables also. However w^ell 

 the surface soil be hoed, &c., dm-ing continuous 

 arid periods, the action of the sun is such as to 

 unduly dry the soil in the vicinity of the roots. 

 Where crops are just so closely grown together as to 

 about meet, all this is avoided, and the plant's shade 

 is all-powerful: Lettuces, Endive, &c., along with 

 the above being plants in point. Too thick planting 

 and seedling-growdng is equally objectionable, if not 

 more so, and is a too general error. It is impos- 

 sible for any individual plant to attain to a good 

 size, when two or three young seedling or other 

 plants are crowded together upon such space as is 

 capable of maintaining the single plant only. These 

 remarks apply to all kinds, but especially to Spinach, 

 Turnips, Radishes, and all plants which require space 

 to show distinct individuality before actual merit is 

 possible. The thinning out of all seedling plants is 

 therefore a matter of much importance, and it is 

 essential that this be done at the earliest moment 

 possible after the young plants assume the foui'th 

 or fifth leaf. The practice of hoeing out sui-plus 

 seedling plants is also an important and a useful 

 one. By loosening the soil around such as are 

 chosen to remain, more inducement is given for 

 the primary roots to travel downwards, whilst other 

 young roots are also induced to push from around 

 the base of the plant, owing to the latent moisture 

 thereby retained, and the more favourable state of the 

 soil for root-progress. 



The practice of gi'owing certain crops, such as 

 Onions, Carrots, &c., in beds should be discontinued. 

 This practice increases labour without compensatory 

 returns. Drill-rows, across the quarters or borders, 

 are to be preferred. By their use, subsequent hoeing 

 can be more rapidly done, weeds thereby destroyed, 

 and in due course the needful thinning out of all 

 where too thick can also be accomplished. 



Seasonable Operations should be undertaken 

 to date as exactly as possible, without which it is im- 

 possible for perfect order to reign and all crops in 

 season to be secured. Whatever the weather be this 

 day, or this month, the divisions of the year alter 



