12 



HOCKINGS 3 GARDEN MANUAL. 



10 cwt. of salt per acre for asparagus, beet, mangel 



wurzel 3 &c. 



H oz. of fresh Peruvian guano to one gallon water 

 is a safe proportion for guano liquid. 

 One part by weight of cow dung with ten parts water 

 is the proportion used for liquid manure. 



COMPARATIVE PROPERTIES OF 

 SOIL. 



It is admitted by all gardeners that the soil best 

 calculated for general garden purposes should be of 

 rather a light, rich, friable, loamy texture ; dry, mel- 

 low, and capable of being wrought at all seasons, and 

 of a good depth — that is, from two feet to three feet 

 and a-half, and that the worst kinds are those of the 

 very light, sandy, and stiff clayey texture. A loam 

 of a middling 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 

 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 far in search of 

 nourishment, and be unable to collect a sufficient 

 quantity for their support and maintenance. It is a 

 false principle to depend upon manures entirely, for 

 were they to be had in the greatest abundance, a too 

 free application of them would have effects highly 

 injurious to the quality of vegetables in general. In 

 the formation of a garden a moderate and prudent 

 expense should be bestowed at the beginning, if the 

 undertaking is to be ultimately crowned with success 

 and satisfaction. 



Strong stubborn clays are to be avoided, being the 

 most unfit of all others, as tew vegetables will prosper 

 in them. Sand, lime, chalk, and coal-ashes, correct 

 the tenacity of clayey soils, and make them work more 



