380 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



e very detail is carefully studied ; and, most important of all, the character 

 of the ground to be cultivated requires to be thoroughly understood. A 

 rough plan of the garden should always be made, and the space allocated 

 to each subject clearly indicated thereon. It is imperative that no plot of 

 ground be cropped two years in succession with the same subject, Onions, 

 however, being the one exception to this apparently rigid rule. A change 

 of soil is very necessary, and the wisdom of this changing about of quarters 

 is generally seen in subsequent crops. Referring again to Onions, the 

 same quarter may be used for many years with the best results. As to the 

 best time to trench and dig, opinions are somewhat diverse. Whether this 

 should be done in autumn, winter, or spring, individual circumstances 

 must determine. When dealing with light soils the work should be done 

 quite early in the autumn, and the sooner the trenching is completed the 

 better. In the case of soils of heavier texture the work should be deferred 

 till the end of February or March, taking the precaution, however, in the 

 early autumn to break up the surface with a fork. Left thus all through 

 the winter, better drainage of the soil will be encouraged, and being in 

 the rough, frosts will pulverise and sweeten it. I have no sympathy with 

 those who simply dig their ground in an ordinary manner ; trenching is 

 essential to success, and in its observance deep culture follows as a con- 

 sequence. It may be argued that time cannot be spared for trenching in 

 many establishments, but this difficulty may be overcome by adopting a 

 better system of carrying out the work of the garden. In the cultivation 

 of vegetables for exhibition, deep culture is one of the chief factors in 

 achieving success, and for this reason the work should be done in a 

 thorough manner. 



Contrary to the usual practice of keeping the bottom spit at the 

 bottom, I advocate bringing it to the surface. The weather then does its 

 beneficent work of sweetening the soil, rendering it fertile, and with sur- 

 face dressings of other soils, which ultimately become incorporated with 

 it, the whole, instead of part of the soil, is brought into fertility. To the 

 depth of two-and-a-half to three feet should trenching be done, and the 

 bottom should also be well broken up. For deep-rooting subjects such as 

 Peas and Beans, Onions, &c. two layers of manure should be applied. 

 At the bottom of the trench place a layer of the larger and greener 

 manure and any garden refuse, such as leaves and litter, of which there 

 is always an accumulation. The second layer of manure, and this should 

 be partially decayed, and road-scrapings (invaluable for heavy ground), 

 should be placed about midway between the surface and the bottom of 

 the trench. Ample space should be allowed, so that these operations 

 may be carried out thoroughly and expeditiously. The surface soil should 

 not be broken up finely, but left in the rough for the weather and frosts 

 to do what is necessary. Previous to planting, the surface should be 

 forked over when the soil should crumble, being rendered friable by these 

 means. 



Root crops such as Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroot, and Salsify should 

 follow in ground that has been previously occupied with Celery. Soil of 

 this kind lias been deeply worked and purified. Even in these instances, 

 I desire to emphasise again the need for trenching, incorporating soot, 

 burnt garden refuse, road-scrapings, and old mortar refuse. Soil destitute 



