SPADEWORK 
43 
coarse-growing things as chicory, and burnet, 
and cocksfoot, will in time break up this hard 
pan, by means of their long, thong-like roots, 
which aerate and penetrate it, and so create a 
drainage for the soil above it. 
A very poor and stony border, planted with 
cabbages, or rather with the remains of cab- 
bages, had stalks and leaves and roots all turned 
in one winter. That border in a couple of 
years became the best in the garden, and of 
good rich dark soil. Care must be taken not 
to dig in seeding weeds, as the seeds retain 
their germinating power for many years. 
Should a large heap of vegetable refuse be 
found when taking possession of a garden, do 
not spread it as a top-dressing, but burn it, or 
treat it with quicklime and bury it at the 
bottom of a deep trench — otherwise weeds by 
the million will be the result. 
Peat-moss litter is good stuff for light soils, 
and sawdust, if turned into a farmyard after 
use in the stables, and well trodden in, or made 
into a heap and turned twice, is used with 
excellent results in market-gardens. 
Good kitchen-garden soil will grow most 
things, but it gets overworked and sticky, 
sometimes from too much treading, and then 
the only thing to do is to dig and trench it 
