December 15, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
519 
I N most gardens there is now a considerable amount of space 
uncropped, and it should be decided at once when and what steps 
shall be taken towards preparing the ground for next season. 
Soils vary so surprisingly even before being much cultivated that 
no general rules as to their treatment can well be laid down, so 
much depending upon circumstances. Some land would be best 
let alone till near the time cropping is to take place, but other ought 
to be dug at once ; in some cases bastard trenching would be 
beneficial, and ordinary trenching might advantageously be resorted 
to in others. When and what to use, if there is any choice, in the 
way of manures also require consideration, and soils may be 
greatly improved by the addition of a variety of other substances, 
soluble or otherwise. 
Heavy Soils.— These are, perhaps, the most frequently met 
with, and under good cultivation they usually prove the most 
fertile. Heavy ground naturally consists largely of clay, and 
requires to be treated with the greatest judgment. When first 
taken in hand trenching of any kind had better be left alone, but 
the drainage ought to be perfected. As early in the winter as 
possible the ground should be dug with a fork to the full depth of 
the latter, and only partially decayed strawy manure, preferably 
from stables, freely buried in the trenches. This kind of manure 
is slow in decomposition, and acts mechanically in the direction of 
dividing naturally too close soils. Frosts, winds, sunshine, and 
rains will further break down or pulverise the roughly laid-up 
spits, and if a spring dressing of fine sandy soil, leaf mould, fine 
ashes, spent tan, peat, mortar rubbish, or burnt clay is forked in 
the improvement effected in a comparatively short space of time 
will be of a permanent character. Caustic lime applied at the rate 
of 1 ton to a quarter of an acre of ground is a very excellent form 
of dressing, either for heavy soils newly broken up or for any that 
have been freely manured of late years, and stand in need of 
correction. Place it in 4-bushel heaps, co^er with soil till it is 
slaked, and then spread over the isurface of ground that has been 
dug some few weeks in advance, and fork into the surface. Never 
bury lime deeply ; it will find its way down quickly enough. The 
other substances, whether in mixture or separately, should also be 
well mixed with pulverised soil, and not deeply buried. After the 
top spit has been considerably improved, and exhausted of some of 
its fertility, the time has arrived for double digging, a process to 
be presently described. There are some soils that contain so great 
a per-centage of clay that it is scarcely possible to greatly alter 
their character quickly. In some few cases it is unwise to even 
dig them many weeks in advance of cropping, some clays when 
pulverised assuming the consistency and character of birdlime. 
The majority of heavy soils, however, should be roughly dug as 
early as possible in the autumn or winter, and if soon pulverised 
pay well for being forked over, without disturbing the manure 
underneath, in February or early in March ; for often the surface 
is finely divided when cropped, but underneath are great hard and 
cold lumps, which remain in that state all through the summer. 
The second turning discovers and brings these to the surface to be 
pulverised. On no account interfere with retentive soils in wet 
weather, or the surface will be made pasty before it is turned in, 
and be years in recovering its original fairly open state. Nor 
should cowyard manure be used if that from horse stables can be 
No. 651,— Vol. XXV.. Third Series. 
had. The former sours the land badly, making it heavier and 
colder than before its application ; whereas strawy manure, as 
already stated, acts very differently. Chemical manures are far 
preferable to those of a solid nature obtained from milch cows more 
especially. All wheeling on heavy land should be done as much 
as possible either when it is frosted over or in a dry state, planks 
for wheeling on being necessary at all other times. 
Medium Soils. —There are a great variety of these, and in 
many cases there is a good depth of free working, yet fairly 
retentive soil, which is improved by deep cultivation from the 
outset. As the soil would contain 20 per cent, or more of clay, 
often of a sandy or gravelly nature, it is yet unadvisable to be too 
hasty in bringing up much of the subsoil to the surface. First 
prepare it by bastard trenching and the admixture of decaying 
substances, such as vegetable refuse and sohd manure of any kind, 
and then a reversal of the spits, if clay is not very abundant, may 
safely be attempted. Mixed farmyard manure is the best for these 
medium soils, and they will stand plenty of it. Being fairly 
retentive, too, the manure in a half-decayed state may be dug in 
now, and the surface of the ground laid up to be improved by, 
sweetened and perhaps broken down by frosts. A dressing of 
lime is usually required about once in seven years. Advantage 
should be taken of frosty weather to do all the wheeling necessary 
on these medium soils. 
Light Soils. —Ground of a very free working character has its 
disadvantages as well as the rest. In particular sandy soils are far 
too non-retentive of moisture to be very fertile, and not till they 
have been greatly increased in depth and retentivenes3 will they 
ever be much more satisfactory. If the subsoil is not of a very 
chalky or gravelly nature much may be done towards improving 
the physical properties of the soil by first bastard and then 
ordinarily trenching it. Clay sometimes underlies these light 
sandy soils, and bringing about 3 inches of this, or even less, to 
the surface and well mixing with it, would completely change its 
character for the better. It is to the absence of clay that the 
poorness of light sandy soils is to be attributed. If either clay 
or marl can be obtained it would pay well to spread about twenty 
loads of this over a quarter of acre of ground, doing this either 
before or early in the winter. It must be left exposed to all 
weathers till broken down to a finely divided state, when it should 
be forked into and mixed with, not buried under the surface soil. 
This admixture of clay or marl has the effect of at once making 
the ground more retentive of moisture as well as fertilising agents, 
including any that may be absorbed from the atmosphere. If no 
clay can be added it is not advisable to either manure or dig long 
before the ground is wanted for cropping purposes. Should the 
former be buried in the ground much before the roots of plants 
are there to assimilate the food thus placed within easy reach, the 
chances are much of it will be washed away down the drains and 
wasted. Better build the manure up into a square heap (it ought 
to be well decomposed for light soils), placing a layer of fresh soil 
underneath and another on the top, and thereby preserve its best 
properties and increase the bulk against the time it is wanted. 
Roughly digging or ridging light soils in the autumn or early 
winter is a mistake, for the simple reason that they are already too 
finely divided. Failing a dressing of clay or marl, collect a great 
heap of road trimmings, road scrapings, decayed garden refuse, and 
good cowyard manure ; and a heavy spring dressing of this, or when 
the ground is dug, will serve to greatly improve its depth, 
retentiveness, and productive character. 
Bastard Trenching. —This process consists of breaking up 
the soil two or more spits deep without changing their positions, 
thereby increasing their depth and fertility without running any 
risks of bringing poor unworkable subsoil to the surface in injurious 
quantities. Some few soils, principally those of an alluvial or 
deposited character, may safely be trenched outright, but by far 
the greater proportion would be little short of ruined for years if 
No. 2307 .—Yol. LXXXVII., Old Series. 
