BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN 
LEAFLETS 
THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
Series V Brooklyn, N. Y., October 3, 1917 No. 11 
FALL TREATMENT OF LAND 
FOR GARDEN CROPS 
It is often advantageous to commence the preparation of the 
soil for spring planting in the preceding autumn. Sod land which 
is proposed to be converted into a vegetable or flower garden 
should always be dug or plowed in the fall, if possible, in order 
that the tough roots and wiry stems of the grasses may have 
more time in which to decay, thus forming plant food and im- 
proving the physical condition of the soil. 
Although it is true that crops can be produced on sod that 
has been dug or plowed in the spring, the results are not nearly 
so satisfactory as in the case of land plowed the preceding fall. 
In the first place it is practically impossible to form a good seed 
bed in ground that is full of intractable lumps. Also difficulties 
are experienced when the sods commence to grow (as they surely 
will!); and, further, the loose, undecayed sods, by providing a bar 
to efficient capillary action, are likely to dry out too rapidly and 
cause the crops to suffer from lack of moisture. 
It is advisable to turn under the sods early in the fall, when 
the ground is still warm, as decay proceeds more rapidly in a 
moderately high temperature. If stable or farm yard manure is 
available, it may be spread over the ground to a depth of about 
three inches. 
The ground is now ready to be dug or plowed. If the work is 
to be done by hand, first make a trench across one end of the plot 
a foot wide and a foot deep. Now proceed with the digging of the 
plot, burying the sods and manure in the trench. You will find it 
much easier by this method than if no trench has been made. The 
soil made by opening up the first trench is used to fill in at the oppo- 
