April.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 323 
as a desire in many to have their crops at as early a period as pos- 
sible, either for sale or family use; and also for the general accom- 
modation of the more southerly states, that month being their 
principal season for gardening. But, in the eastern states gene- 
rally, and in such parts of the middle states as the ground is 
naturally of a binding and heavy nature, this will be the most 
eligible period for sowing their general garden crops; always ob- 
serving to sow the hardy kinds as early in the month as the soil, 
season, and situation will admit of, in order that the young plants 
may be established before they are overtaken by the summer heat 
and drought; but never, nor on any account, should a stiff or moist 
ground be wrought till it gets so dry as to fall to pieces in the 
working, nor delayed till it binds and becomes hard. Let the spade 
not be applied till every particle of water, that is not in contact 
with the clay, is either drained away or drawn off by the air; nick 
that time and you will then find the earth to work freely, and not 
subject to bind afterwards; for if a clay is worked before this criti- 
cal period it kneads like dough, becomes more tough, and never 
fails to bind when drought follows, which not only prevents the 
seed to rise, but injures the plants materially in their subsequent 
growth by its becoming impervious to the moderate rains, dews, 
air, and influence of the sun, which are all necessary to the pro- 
motion of vegetation. 
On the other hand, a light sandy soil will be rather benefitted by 
working it when moist, as such will have a tendency to make it 
more compact, and consequently more retentive of moisture. 
The nearer the ground approaches to a sand the less retentive 
will it be of moisture; the more to a clay the longer will it retain 
it; and the finer the particles of which the clay is composed, the 
faster will it hold every small particle of water, and consequently 
be longer in drying, and become harder when dry; but earth of a 
consistence that will hold v/ater the longest, without becoming hard 
when dry, is that of all others the best adapted for raising the 
generality of plants in the greatest perfection. This last described 
is called loam, and is a medium earth between the extremes of 
clay and sand. 
The great art of improving sandy and clay soils, is to give to the 
former such dressings of clay, cow-dung, and other kinds of 
manure, as will have a tendency to bind and make it more compact, 
and consequently more retentive of moisture; and to the latter, 
coats of sandy earth, pond-mud, horse-dung, and such other com- 
posts as may tend to separate its particles and open its pores, there- 
by easily to discharge any superabundance of moisture, and cause 
it to approach as near as possible to a loam, which may be greatly 
assisted by summer and winter fallowing; for the winter frost, and 
summer heat, being the plough and spade of nature, have a power 
to separate the particles of earth, by the expansion of the particles 
of water lodged between, and in contact with them, more effectu- 
ally than the ploughs and spades made by the hand of man; but 
when art and nature act in co-operation, the business is more 
speedily accomplished. This is the foundation stone of horticulture 
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