170 
A KITCHEN GABDEN 
the land in a workable condition at least a week 
earlier.* 
Putting manure on the ground in the fall, or dur¬ 
ing winter, is a practice I would not recommend, be¬ 
cause some of its most valuable portions are sure to 
be washed into the drains by the melting snow and 
spring rains, leaving the plants rather a meagre 
supply of nourishment to draw from when they come 
to need it most. The proper way to do is to give the 
ground a liberal spreading of thoroughly decomposed 
barnyard manure in spring, as soon as the land is in 
a workable condition.f 
This should immediately be plowed in, and* be 
followed with a sharp, weighted harrow, to thoroughly 
pulverize and mix the soil. This is important, as 
the surface of the soil is not so liable to harden or 
bake afterwards, if the ground is well worked in the 
spring. The soil is also permeated to a greater depth 
by the sun and air, causing healthier and quicker 
growth, consequently better and earlier vegetables. 
The form of our one-acre patch should, by all means, 
be a rectangle, made longer than wide, with the rows 
running lengthwise, and all perfectly straight, and 
everything else so arranged that as much of the 
* While, as stated, a well-drained soil is most desirable for the garden, 
and its value is not to be underrated, yet success in gardening can be had 
on almost any soil. The more unfavorable the circumstances, the greater 
credit is due the gardener, and many cannot afford expensive under¬ 
draining.—E d. 
f The suggestion as to applying manure in the spring is good, as far as 
the well-drained land is concerned; where the land is not well-drained, 
however, more of the good properties of the manure are retained by 
applying the coarse manure in the fall, as it then fills the soil with decom¬ 
posing vegetable matter.—E d. 
