68 
THE FLORIST A.ND POMOLOGIST. 
the better the deeper the roots are able to penetrate. This is so true and so 
generally recognised, that it would be difficult to find any person to gainsay it. 
It is now a good many years since I saw a border in a kitchen garden 
trenched between 3 and 4 feet deep, and as it was for Peach trees, there wa3 a 
quantity of stones and rubble put at the bottom—the soil was all excellent. 
Some Endive was that season planted on the border—and such Endive ! it was 
prodigious. The following spring, owing to some alterations, a portion of the 
soil was removed, and it was then discovered that the roots of the Endive had 
penetrated down to the rubble at the bottom. I was then a youth, but this 
fact taught me a lesson I have never forgotten. Some people object to deep 
trenching on account of the expense. Deep trenching cannot be done without 
extra labour; but in my opinion it is labour well bestowed, and in the end I 
question if there is not a considerable gain by it. In all gardens where there 
is a regular and constant cropping, there always is a great exhaustion of the 
soil going on. Now in gardens where trenching is not adopted (if there be 
any such), this exhaustion must be constantly made good by heavy manuring 
in order to grow crops. With the best of manuring, if trenching be neglected, 
the crops of vegetables will not be first class, and in dry weather constant 
waterings are necessary. I do believe that in some places the labour that is 
employed in watering the vegetables is sufficient to deep trench one-third the 
garden annually. 
By deep trenching we bring up to the surface those constituents which the 
crops had exhausted the surface soil of: consequently, less manure is required ; 
and by a proper rotation the finest crops of vegetables are obtained with little 
or no watering even in the driest seasons. All plants require a certain quantity 
of inorganic matter from the soil to make it grow in the most healthy manner ; 
but they will live, grow, and even ripen seeds with very much less than this 
quantity. The crops soon exhaust shallow soils of these matters; and to con¬ 
tinue to grow good crops successfully, these matters must be restored to the 
soil either by manure or otherwise. Deep trenching, when the subsoil contains 
nothing noxious to vegetables, will to a certain extent supply these matters, and 
it also wonderfully improves the physical condition of the soil. When the 
roots strike deep into the soil they are less liable to suffer from drought; the 
fibres are sent into every part of the soil, and the space from which the nourish¬ 
ment is derived is more considerable than when only a few inches of the surface 
soil are dug. 
My own practice is to trench a certain portion of ground every season ; by 
this means the whole is got through in time. When from unfavourable weather 
or a pressure of other work I am unable any season to get as much done as I 
want, I make an effort the following season to get through so much more. 
Trenching should never be attempted when the soil is wet. It should be always 
done when the soil is dry, the drier the better. All kinds of vegetables grow 
most luxuriantly in newly trenched land when it is good, they soon get so well 
established as to be almost indifferent to the seasons. I never wait for rainy 
weather to plant anything when the ground is ready and the season has arrived. 
If the soil be very dry at the time of planting, I have the plants well watered 
until we get some rain; I then have some earth drawn round the plants and 
rarely give them any water after, no matter how dry the season may be, as 
they soon strike deep into the soil, and do not require it. Artificial watering 
out of doors is to very little purpose if it be not done thoroughly, and then it 
involves a great amount of labour in gardens of any size, and that too at a very 
busy season of the year. In very droughty seasons it is not unusual to see the 
greater number of hands half their time employed in watering to keep the 
plants alive. Now if this be not both expensive and profitless, I don’t know 
