October 20, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
333 
and for a septuagenarian this ought to be, as it is to me, 
a deep cause of gratitude.—D., Deal. 
IMPROVEMENT OF SOILS. 
DIGGING—MANURE. 
The present is a suitable time to review the best methods of 
cultivating soils in order that the largest amount of produce may 
be secured with the least outlay of labour. Depth of fertile soils is 
considered, and rightly considered, the test for gauging the value 
of any particular piece of ground. No doubt there are other con¬ 
ditions, but anyone wishful of renting a piece of ground would be 
guided to a greater extent by the depth or shallowness of the soil 
than by any other or perhaps most of the other conditions together. 
I have several times proved that the addition of new material to 
the surface of shallow soils has improved the crops to an extent 
that would hardly be believed by those who have had no experience 
of the good effects of such a procedure. Where plenty of waste 
material is to be had there would be no cheaper method of soil 
improvement than that of adding it to the depth of 6 inches to a 
foot on shallow soils. Provided the material is open in texture— 
and that is a necessity—.he benefit is immediate and continuous. 
The ordinary methods of soil improvement by digging or 
trenching are much slower in effecting improvement. They are, 
however, very necessary, and of the very first importance when 
rightly performed. Turning up soil to the influences of the 
■weather means that a certain portion will be completely pulverised, 
and thereby rendered in the best condition for the roots of plants 
to ramify and increase and secure food with rapidity. In the case 
of very heavy soils the importance of keen frosts and drying winds 
as a means of securing a good seed bed can hardly be over¬ 
estimated. The similarity in effect of strong heat and extreme 
cold is well exemplified in cases where surface soils are pulverised 
by burning, though generally the good effects following are not so 
much attributed to this complete breaking up of the soil into 
minute particles, as to the setting free of certain food constituents 
which previously were unavailable. That is so, of course, but it 
may be taken that the main benefit in cases of soil exposure to ex¬ 
treme heat and extreme cold is due to the old-fashioned reason of 
the soil having been rendered of a “ good working condition but 
the improvement mechanically is also of importance, and here it 
may be pointed out that turning soil, either one, two, or three spits 
deep, as the case may be, gives no clear intimation of the benefits 
©f the process. The object of all cultivation is the breaking up of 
coil, and the better this is performed just so much the greater will 
be the improvement following ; hence the necessity of thoroughly 
breaking all clods and lumps of soil which are too deep for weather 
influences to reach, and well executed work will not consist only of 
the turning soil to the surface, but also of a rough-and-ready pul¬ 
verisation of the deeper soil in the course of working. Some 
gardeners who thoroughly recognise the importance of this have 
discarded spades and employ forks for turning ground. I think the 
work is more rapidly performed by means of spade culture, but 
it is more necessary to see that the workmen are duly paying atten¬ 
tion to the furrows than if forks are used. As to the question of 
how deep soil should be cultivated, that of course depends on the 
kind of soil. If the subsoil be so bad as to admit of no improve¬ 
ment or amelioration, then it would be waste of time to try to 
improve it by any other means than increasing the depth of fertile 
Eoil from the surface. All the advocates of deep cultivation con¬ 
tend that shallow cultivation cannot yield the same good returns 
that deeper soils will ; therefore, the point each individual has to 
consider is the best means of deepening the soil he has to deal with. 
If by subsoiling, then certainly do so. If too shallow naturally for 
that, then add to the surface as pointed out at the beginning of this 
piper. 
As to the best time to turn up soil, I think it cannot be done 
too early in autumn. Soil either dug or trenched in October in¬ 
variably turns out in the best condition in spring. Winter-dug 
ground is occasionally damaged by snow, and when left till spring 
the ground misses the good effect of frost, &c. At the same time, 
if ground is thoroughly well worked, either digging or trenching 
may be performed at any time from spring to late autumn, and if 
planting or sowing follows directly, the good effect of the process 
will be very noticeable. The time to apply manure and the method 
of application is also a moot point. For my own part I allow 
myself a pretty wide latitude. If I think it will pay to mix 
manure in a stratum of soil 18 inches or 2 feet deep, I do so. If, 
on the contrary, the manure would be likely to be more quickly 
effective applied just under the surface, then that is done. To 
particularise, I would not, as a rule, place dung at the bottom of a 
deep trench. Cases occur, however, when it is necessary to do so. 
I find that Globe Artichokes, for instance, cannot be well grown 
unless on deeply manured soil. The Hollyhock, as a flower, has 
the same liking, therefore in preparing ground for these and others 
of a like nature, the dung is put in deeply. But in preparing a 
quarter for Cauliflowers, Cabbages, Savoys, &c., plants which 
require to make very rapid progress from the first, and which, as a 
rule, do not go far in search of food, we do not bury tbe dung 
deeply. In many cases we put horse or cow manure just a few 
inches beneath the surface of the soil. This applies to anything 
which is to remain only a short time on the ground—such, for 
instance, as seedlings, Spinach, or pricked out flowers, &c. The 
time of application also varies, but as a rule good dung should be- 
dug in just before the crop is sown or planted. That, of course, 
cannot always be followed out, but it is a good principle to work 
by. Such crops as Potatoes, Strawberries, Peas and Beans, Broc¬ 
coli and Brussels Sprouts, are most satisfactory when grown on so.l 
which had been manured for a previous crop. 
Then it may be asked, What is “ good ” manure ? Very many 
do not think it is entitled to that adjective until it has become old 
and decayed. Unfortunately the best of its manurial properties 
have then disappeared. There are cases where partially decayed 
manure is advantageous, as for Celery trenches, but generally the 
fresher dung is on application, so long as it is not quite “ green,” 
the better is it for crops. 
Though I should not care to follow any artificial method of 
cropping ground such as is laid down for guidance in gardening 
works, still it is necessary that gardeners should work their ground 
systematically. It is not only good for the ground itself, but the 
land is more cheaply wrought and yields more profusely. As 
examples, Potatoes will be found to succeed excellently after late 
Cauliflowers and Broccoli. The ground, if well manured or mulched 
for these, will be quite rich enough for Potatoes. The texture 
of the soil will be open and the crop certain to be good. In 
like manner early Kidney Potatoes do very well after Celery, 
merely pointing over the ground. Peas and Beans also do well 
after Cauliflowers and spring Broccolis, but these should be sown 
in trenches. The space between, if not too hard, will grow fine 
Lettuces, Turnips, &c. After Potatoes, Spinach, Winter Onions, 
Lettuce, Endive, Scotch Kale, &c., do splendidly. The ground 
requires no turning up, and if help is needed to bring on crops in 
spring a slight dressing of sulphate of ammonia will put that all 
right. Brussels Sprouts do very well after Seakale or other crops 
that have been on enrichedsoil. No digging is required, and Sprouts 
are always best from rather poor soil. AVhere there is much 
pressure for space it will sometimes be found convenient to sow 
annuals or plant flowers in certain likely portions of the vegetable 
quarters. In such the flowers succeed splendidly.—B. 
THE DRY WEATHER AND SPINACH GROWING. 
One very important lesson taught us by the excessively dry 
weather of the past summer was to make extra provision for the 
storage of water, either by constructing new tanks or enlarging 
those already made. It was well nigh a water famine, for no rain 
fell from the last week in May until the 10th of August. The soil 
of the garden being a chalky loam, very shallow, and resting on 
solid chalk, it will be inferred that all kinds of vegetables suffered 
severely, but as regards Spinach it was very difficult indeed to get 
a dish. The ordinary way of growing it was a failure, for as soon 
as it was up and began to form leaves the plants ran to seed. The 
only way I could obtain any was by digging trenches a spade’s 
width and depth, then putting in manure, covered with soil, sowing 
the seed upon it, and by keeping the plants watered I managed to 
get a partial crop. The hot weather had its effect, as it soon ran to 
seed, and but for a sort of perpetual Spinach grown here I could 
not have kept up a supply. This plant was new to me. I therefore 
send you a flower stem, also a few leaves, and will thank you to 
enlighten me upon it. My employer calls it “ Sea Spinach,” and 
there is a salty flavour in the leaves. He prefers it to any other, as 
my orders are to send it to table as often as I can get it. The 
plants were growing the whole of the dry weather, and proved so 
useful to me that I think it ought to be better known to be more 
cultivated. I therefore give my sytem of culture, which is very 
simple. 
Select a piece of ground in the open with a fair depth of good 
garden soil, dig it deeply—that is, to the full depth of the spade, 
adding plenty of manure, well bury it so that there may be 
6 inches of soil over. Level the surface by raking it down, then 
set out the rows, which should be 2 feet 6 inches apart, and the 
plants in the row 18 inches. This distance appears great, yet if the 
plants do well the bed should last three years or more, and before 
that time they will meet each other. When plinting use a trowe 
or small fork instead of a dibble, and set the plants in deep enough 
to make firm and water them. The after treatment is mainly to 
