HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



13 



pleasantly : the former, if sharp, or if it be river or sea 

 sand, with a mixture of shells, will, if given in a 

 sufficient quantity, render it of a lighter texture. 

 Chalk should be spread on the surface in spring, so that 

 the whole may be pulverised by the action of the sum- 

 mer's sun and rains, and dug in in the autumn. It 

 corrects the acidity of the clay, and renders it at the 

 same time more friable. Lime acts much in the same 

 w^ay, but should be used more sparingly. Coal-ashes 

 have much the same effect upon stiff soils. Lime 

 rubbish dug in is a good corrector of stiff soils, and is 

 less objectionable than the coal-ashes. Decayed tan- 

 ners' bark, bog mould, or any vegetable mould applied 

 to strong soils, lightens them considerably. Such soils 

 cannot be too much wrought by the spade ; every 

 opportunity should be taken to ridge and rough-dig 

 strong soils ; and such operations should not be done in 

 wet weather, nor when the ground has been saturated 

 with wet. 



Orchards, orangeries, vineyards, and pineapple plan- 

 tations are found to thrive on the stony ridges in the 

 vicinity of Brisbane better than in the rich alluvial 

 flacs. The soil for such purposes should be trenched 

 two feet six inches deep and well drained, at least three 

 feet deep, no matter what the surface declivity may be. 

 If manure is required, it may be applied as a top- 

 dressing, and lightly forked in among the plants. 



In this climate great advantage will be derived 

 from digging such land deep, and roughly throwing it 

 up in beds to lay exposed to the sun during the summer. 

 The sun has an effect almost equal to the frost in Eng- 

 land in causing the disintegration of the soil under 

 such circumstances. 



In procuring mould, either for renewing or im- 

 proving the soil, care should be taken to prefer such 

 only as is near the surface, as it is in general the most 

 productive and fruitful, and is in reality the true 

 vegetable earth. The top spit, that is, to the depth of 



