44 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



and manuring one plot every year, it can be 

 arranged for each quarter to have a good dressing 

 at least once every four years. 



Bastard trenching is generally better than 

 trenching ; and the more constantly the ground is 

 stirred the better. 



As farmyard manure is often scarce, and 

 labour for thorough trenching is expensive or 

 difficult to obtain, it will be found that doing a 

 quarter of the ground each year is a sure way of 

 getting it all under cultivation. This, and dig- 

 ging in the refuse, will supply the necessary humus. 

 Between times dig as deep as possible and use 

 artificial manure. 



The reason for ascertaining the crops that 

 have been grown before is to enable some sort of 

 rotation to be practised. It is impossible, in 

 gardening, to do this as perfectly as in agriculture, 

 but there are a few things which it is well to bear 

 in mind. The three fundamental rules are as 

 follows : — 



(1) Plants of the same natural order should 

 not follow each other. 



(2) Crops which have occupied the same 

 ground for several years should be succeeded by 

 others of short duration. This gives an oppor- 

 tunity for constantly stirring and cleaning the 

 ground. 



