FAMILIAR LESSONS ON PRACTICAL GARDENING 
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original surface being indicated by the dotted 
line- As soon after the summer crops are 
cleared off, as possible, trenching should com- 
mence, and should be finished without delay. 
Late trenching causes the loss of much of the 
benefit that might have been derived from 
exposure. 
This is one of the simplest modes of trench- 
ing. It is, however, supposed that the soil is 
sufficiently good two spits deep to admit of 
the bottom one being brought up to the top. 
If this is not the case, another plan must be fol- 
lowed. Dig out the 
surface soil of No. 1 
a full spade wide, 
and as deep as the 
soil is good, say down to the dotted line ; then 
break up the portion below this with a fork, 
and allow it still to remain at the bottom of 
No. 1. Dig and turn over No. 2, to fill up 
No. 1 ; and break up the bottom as before, 
filling up with No. 3 ; and so on. Trenching 
three spades deep is done on the same prin- 
ciple, only more space is wanted, and greater 
facilities are af- 
forded for chang- 
ing the relative 
position of the 
layers of soil, as regards distance from the 
surface. In ordinary cases the bottom would 
not be brought up, but turned over ; Nos. 1, 
2, 3, 4, and 5 being removed, No. 6 would 
be forked over into No. 3 ; No. 7 would 
replace No. 2, and No. 8, No. 1 ; No. 9 would 
be forked into No. 6 ; No. 10 replace No. 5; 
and No. 11, No. 4 ; and so on. In this way, 
the second spit would be brought to the top. 
If the top spit were required to be kept at top 
it might be done thus : Nos. 1, 2, and 4 re- 
moved, No. 3 forked up, No. 5 replace No. 2, 
and No. 7, No. 1 ; then No. 6 forked up, 
No. 8 replace No. 5, and No. 10, No. 4. To 
bring the lower spit to the top would be best 
done by removing Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 ; then 
turn No. 5 into the place of No. 3, No. 7 to 
that of No. 2, and No. 6 to that of No. 1 ; 
and again, No. 8 to 6, No. 10 to 5, No. 9 to 4. 
This may be varied in other ways, without 
any inconvenience in the operation. In doing 
all this the operator works lengthways the 
trench, the trench being opened across the 
ground. 
Any part of the operations of digging and 
trenching, which is usually done with a spade, 
may be done by means of a digging-fork, and 
in many cases the fork is the preferable im- 
plement. The levelling down before the 
planting season of the ridged surface of the 
ground should always be done with the fork, 
as it leaves the mass lighter, and more tho- 
roughly pulverized, than the spade does. This 
operation should be done in drying, windy 
weather (or, at least, when the soil is dry), 
and with as little treading as possible ; and it 
should be done as the ground is wanted for 
sowing or planting the crops. Another use 
of forks is, to turn over in winter, while 
frozen, the surface of the ridges into which 
the ground is laid when trenched, so as to 
expose a new surface to be mellowed by the 
action of frost ; this should always be done, 
if possible, once in the course of the winter, 
and can hardly be too often repeated. 
HOEING, RAKING, &C 
These operations are often misunderstood. 
Hoeing is looked upon as a means of kdling 
weeds, and raking as a means of clearing 
them, and stones also, off the ground. As to 
weeds, the cultivator should remember that a 
weed is a robber, and not one should be 
allowed to grow up in the garden ; there 
ought, therefore, to be none to kill, nor any 
to rake off the surface. As to stones, they 
are beneficial, if not too numerous, and should 
not be raked off; where there are any large 
ones, they may be picked off, but if of mode- 
rate size, and in moderate quantity, they 
ought not to be removed. The labour of 
hoeing is beneficially applied, when directed 
to the frequent breaking up and stirring up 
of the surface, amongst growing crops ; this 
is wonderfully effective in promoting the lux- 
uriance and fertility of the crops, and it has 
the additional recommendation of preventing 
the weeds — the robbers — from establishing 
themselves on grounds so treated. Whenever 
the surface of the soil becomes caked, as 
almost all soils are seen to 
be as soon as they get a 
little dry after rain, the 
crust should be broken up 
by a deep hoeing. This 
may be done by a draw- 
hoe (a) or a thrust-hoe (b) ; 
the latter is sometimes 
called the Dutch hoe. The 
difference in these tools, 
and their application, is 
; this : in using the draw- 
hoe, the operator walks 
forward, pulling the blade 
towards him at each 
stroke, just under the sur- 
face ; but in using the 
| thrust-hoe, it is usual to 
! walk backwards, and the 
> blade is pushed from the 
'• operator. Both tools are 
excellent, both for cutting 
up weeds and stirring the 
surface of the soil ; but 
the draw-hoe is also useful for other purposes, 
such as drawing drills or little gutters in 
