October 14, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
845 
the rate of Is. per dozen would give a yearly total from one frame of 
£62 10s.; or to put it in another way, the yearly return per square yard 
of ground occupied would be over £1 10s., a quarter of an acre so cropped 
giving £1815 per annum. 
Although Mustard and Cress seed differ in cost to the extent of 4s. per 
bushel, there is not much difference in the results to the grower. For 
instance, a bushel of Mustard or Rape is sufficient to sow 256 square feet of 
bed, the same quantity of Cress being sufficient for 384 square feet; but 
for the same cost as the Cress 340 feet can be sown with Mustard. The 
ultimate results thus vary slightly, for though a somewhat higher price is 
obtained for the Cress, yet smaller quantities are required, and there is 
more uncertainty regarding the crop. As a guide to those intending to 
grow this salading it may be stated that a pint of Mustard seed is required 
for each 4 square feet, and the same amount of Cress for each 6 feet. 
From about 25 to 30 per cent, should be deducted from the estimated 
returns for the cost of the seed. Thus, to provide the five hundred dozen 
per week mentioned above between six and seven hundred bushels of 
83ed are used yearly, at a cost of something over £400, or about one-third 
of the returns. The punnets are very cheap, but even for them, where 
such large quantities are grown, £2 or £3 per week is said to be the 
average outlay. It should be stated that some growers soak the Rape 
seed in water before sowing to hasten the germination. 
Such are a few particulars concerning a very simple crop, which, if 
judiciously managed, can evidently be made more profitable than some 
others apparently of far more importance. The prices and quantities have 
been chiefly furnished by reliable market salesmen, and the information 
obtained from several different sources agrees in the main facts. Farther, 
to avoid misleading statements as much as possible, the lowest figures 
have been given in each ease.—L. Castle. 
TRENCHED v. UNTRENCHED SOIL. 
It appears there are some quite ready to hear more about the subject 
of trenching, and perhaps another controversy at this seasonable date 
will not be out of place in our good old Journal. At any rate, what “ A 
Kentish Gardener” has to say upon the matter will be very well received, 
and I am rather glad I did not effectually “ crack his nut ” when I first 
attempted it. 
When I read how simple the work of improving all soils proves to 
such as “ J. L. B.” and “ A. L G.,” it occurred to me that either I am 
singularly unskilful, or most unfortunate in that I meet with land that 
is so exceptionally difficult to cultivate profitably. It may be that the 
garden here might be much improved by a thoroughly new system of 
draining, but that at present is quite out of the question, and if ever it is 
done I hope someone else will have charge of the place,for I have a very vivid 
recollection of the effects of having to take a stokehole drain through it. 
That was done four years ago, and the surface affected has not yet been 
placed into good working order. After all, if draining and deep cultiva¬ 
tion would be so very beneficial here, we ought to be able to detect some 
marked improvement in the neighbourhood of this drain, but we cannot, 
not even where it is only 2 feet deep, so that I may yet have to retract 
my first admission. At the same time, a thorough and intelligent 
drainage does effect a remarkable improvement in heavy stagnant locali¬ 
ties such as ours, but our 100-year-old garden, besides being intersected 
with choked drains has also a bad outlet. It is by no means singular in 
this respect, for I have practised in one large garden, almost on a level 
with a river, and very frequently water was standing in the subsoil, it 
being quite a common occurrence for the boiler fires to be extinguished 
by water. Would any of my opponents recommend deep culture for this 
garden, and at least three others that I could name almost as badly 
situated ? 
“ A Kentish Gardener ” need not hesitate to introduce according to his 
ideas any commendable practice adopted by farmers, although, perhaps, 
they as a body have more to learn from us than we from them. I really 
wanted someone to mention something about steam power and its capa¬ 
bility of unearthing riches that had for centuries lain locked up a foot or 
so lower, as it was the baneful effects of the steam plough that tended 
to strengthen my ideas that the value of trenching is very much over¬ 
estimated. Here let me protest against the insinuation that I have 
jumped too quickly at conclusions on this subject; on the con¬ 
trary, the first garden I was connected was ruined by injudicious, 1 may 
say reckless, trenching, and this has always been well remembered, and 
the whole tendency of my remarks upon trenching has been to warn others 
of the risks they may run. For the last fourteen years I have been 
taking note of various experiments on farms, market gardens, and in private 
places, some being confirmatory, and some being condemnatory of my 
recently expressed opinion. I have watched steam ploughs at work on 
large tracts of land, and at one time was delighted with the way in which 
they “ unearthed the riches,” but latterly I began to have my doubts about 
these miniature gold mines, especially when some of thejvotaries of the steam 
plough figured conspicuously in the bankruptcy courts, the machinery 
being principally blamed for the breakdown. By machinery I mean the 
actual costs of its purohase and subsequent contingent expenses, and also 
the results of going too deep. The scarifier on many soils is better than 
the subsoiler, and that those who have brought up the clays to the surface 
found to their cost. No matter how deep and good the soil may be, if the 
surface is unworkable, failures, or partial failures, must result. Not only 
is trenching in any form most expensive work, but the subsequent surface 
culture is more laborious, and requires more judgment than ordinary 
digging. 
My opponents ought to quote correctly and not in a garbled fashion 
to suit their arguments. For instance, I have distinctly stated that 
deep alluvial soil may sometimes be trenched with advantage, yet “ A 
Kentish Gardener” asserts I encourage trenching only in the case of 
light gravelly soil. Another correspondent has gone the length of 
asserting that it is only quite recently that I have admitted any good at 
all could be done by trenching under conditions, and which he must 
know to be erroneous. 
I may be asked what I would term judicious trenching, and will reply 
in anticipation, and will leave it to my readers to decide if I am far 
wrong m describing this as rather expensive work and not likely to be 
generally adopted in these times of great reduction in manual labour. 
A friend of mine selected a good square of ground for Onions, and made 
up his mind that he would have some good ones or much superior to any 
that might be grown in the “ orchard.” He conld command nearly 
2 feet of good soil, and this was bastard trenched early in the autumn, 
abundance of good solid manure being worked into each spit. After the 
ground had settled somewhat the surface was forked over, this being 
repeated at intervals during the winter, a dressing of soot being given 
each time. At sowing time he had a good depth of firm ground in excel¬ 
lent condition, and a wonderful crop eventually resulted. The following 
winter only the surface was dug and well worked and more soot given. 
Onions being again sown, and such Onions as are now ready in great 
quantities for exhibition I have never seen surpassed. In the rectory 
garden near here a good breadth of ground has been trenched, only the 
“ shovellings ” of clayey subsoil reaching the surface. As much manure 
was mixed in as could well be done, and when I saw the ground some of 
this had reached the surface during the process of forking over. A few 
repetitions of this forking the surface will bring it into good working 
order, and the Peas, for which it is prepared, will do well from the com¬ 
mencement, and probably be benefited, especially if the season is very 
dry, by the deep root run. This is doing the work well, very different 
indeed from the way it is usually done, and I shall watch the result closely. 
Unless I am much mistaken, however, if we could expend half as much 
time and half as much manure on our ground our crops would be fully 
equal to those at the Rectory. As it is our Peas usually grow too tall, and 
trenching either increases this tendency to produce too much haulm, or, 
if the season is wet and cold, it renders the ground t totally unfit for 
Peas. 
“ A Kentish Gardener ” advances several good reasons why surface 
culture should be of the highest order, yet, in actual practice, favours the 
very methods of treating the ground that is bound to induce deep root 
action. As he easily proves, various plants thrive best on ridges where 
they receive the full benefit of the sun’s rays and the humid ammonia- 
charged atmosphere, and why will he insist upon trenching, and 
thereby lose all the benefits he so ably points out as being 
derived by the Beans and Lettuces on the ridges ? One important reason 
he omitted to mention. I am strongly of opinion that the firmness of 
the soil has much to do with the Lettuces and Beans doing so well on 
Celery ridges. I am surprised to find that even “ A Thinker ” has 
insinuated that it is owing principally to a greater depth of soil they 
receive the benefit of, forgetting that these ridges are only a trifle above 
the ordinary ground level, the soil thrown out being a comparatively thin 
addition to the surface of the wide spaces between the trenches. Then 
we are told they have long tap-roots, and are also enabled to find a 
“ double dose ” of food. That reads prettily, Mr. Thinker, but I must 
point out that we largely plant out the Beans, and at least one-half of 
the Lettuces, and the tap-roots are not often preserved in the operation, 
or at any rate are diverted from their natural course. It is the valuable 
surface soil that Nature is constantly improving that vegetable life 
naturally thrives best in, and this our deep trenchers would muddle np 
with wretched clay and other abominations. I am so much in favour 
of surface culture that for the future the bulk of our Potatoes will be 
planted on the surface and moulded over. This season we had a breadth 
of heavy ground, 67 feet by 46 feet, planted on the surface with Yeitch’s 
Ashleaf Potatoes in rows 3 feet apart. Between these Brussels Sprouts 
were planted. We lifted 84 sacks, or 34 bushels of good Potatoes, and 
at the same time moulded up the Sprouts. The latter now completely 
cover the ground, and are producing abundance of hard knobs ; a better 
breadth beiDg almost impossible to find. I should add the ground was 
manured and roughly dug early in the winter previous, and a sprinkling 
of superphosphate of lime was added at planting time. If we ha d 
trenched that piece of ground, in all probability the Potatoes would have 
formed too much haulm, and even if we had been able to plant the 
Sprouts they would have grown lanky and gone too much to leaves to 
be profitable. Which forms the best growth when Broccoli or any 
member of the Brassica tribe planted out before they have long stems, or 
those which have of necessity to be dibbled in deeply 1 The former root 
almost wholly near the surface, the roots of the latter never reach the 
surface, and a sappy delicate top-growth is the result. With us Asparagus 
absolutely refuses to grow unless planted on the surface and encouraged 
to root in the top spit. Directly the roots of fruit trees leave the surface 
soil the crops are poorer in every way, and lifting has to be resorted to, 
this even in houses where the drainage is perfect. The colour of the 
foliage of Peach trees especially intimates where the roots are, and this 
season we have partially or wholly lifted several. Mulching is com¬ 
paratively a simple matter, and any gardener in the country can easily 
avail himself of some kind of material more or less suitable. Only this 
week I have acted as doctor in the case of deeply rooting Vines. Those 
roots formed near the surface, induced by mulching and good surface 
treatment, had abundance of fibre, whereas those 18 inches deep were 
