chap. i. J STIRRING THE SOIL, 17 
points of keeping the farrows straight and 
the surface even., depend on skill more than 
strength, the art of digging well may be ac¬ 
quired by any one who thinks it worth while 
to take the trouble. Very little strength will, 
indeed, be necessary, if the rule of thrust¬ 
ing in the spade obliquely, and aiding it 
by the momentum of the body be always 
attended to. 
Pointing , as it is called by gardeners, is in 
fact shallow digging, and it consists in merely 
turning over the ground to the depth of two 
or three inches. In spring, or in the begin¬ 
ning of summer, when the sun has only 
warmed the soil to the depth of a few inches, 
and when the seeds to be sown (as of annual 
flowers for example) are wanted to germinate 
as quickly as possible, pointing is preferable 
to digging; because the latter operation would 
bury the warm soil, and bring that up to the 
surface which is still as cold as in winter. 
Pointing is also used in stirring the ground 
among trees and other plants, in order that 
the spade may not go so deeply into the 
ground as to injure their roots. 
Burying manure .—There are two ways of 
c 
