LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



021 468 103 1 



lurtner working of the soil will pay. 

 If the soil is of a heavy clayey nature 

 and the spading and raking- fail to 

 break up the lumps we usually 'tramp' 

 the ground to further break the lumps. 

 That is, we step back and forth over 

 the garden with footsteps close to- 

 gether so as to pack the soil and crush 

 lumps. A roller would do the work 

 more quickly and easily. It is then 

 raked over again, and, if necessary, we 

 spade and rake it a second time. 



"Even in gardens that have been 

 plowed with a horse it will often pay 

 to spade up corners not well plowed 

 or that have been heavily packed where 

 the horses have turned. 



**A11 of the garden will not be planted 

 immediately following the first working 

 of the soil and if the surface is packed 

 with beating rains it must be worked 

 over again before planting. 



"It is very important that the soil be 

 in the best i^ossible condition before 

 seeds and plants are put in. 



"No amount of after cultivation will 

 make up for careless work in the first 

 preparation of the garden." 



This cannot be emphasized too much 

 especially in the case of the smaller 

 seeds. The infant of the plant world 

 is not unlike the infant of the animal 

 world; it must be afforded the best pos- 

 sible opportunity for development. 



The next circular in this series will 

 be "Sowing the Seed," by Frederic 

 Cranefleld, Secretary of the State Hor- 

 ticultural Society. 



■Published and distributed under Act 

 of 'congress, May 8. 1914, by the Agri- 

 cultural Extension Service of the Col- 

 lege of Agriculture of the University 

 of Wisconsin, the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture cooperating. 



