Cultivation And Management Of The Ground

We shall now proceed to treat on its cultivation and management, which includes, or should include, every requisite necessary to the production of vegetables generally. It must be understood, then, that the requirements of a garden of this description is the keeping of it in such order as to afford both pleasure and profit in return for the labour and expense bestowed upon it. In a word, it ought not only to be profitable, so far as an abundant and useful supply is concerned, but it should be made a source of pleasure to work and walk in at all times, by being kept neat and clean from one end to the other. Persons may be well acquainted with the culture of vegetables, and yet be entire strangers to the treatment essential to the well keeping of the ground.

Soil

The first thing we shall now consider, as being conducive to the above objects, is the judicious treatment of the land, which must be carefully attended to, and kept in a proper state to receive seed and plants when called upon. The soil of a garden of this description should be frequently pulverized by thorough digging or trenching, in order that it may be sweet, free to work, and rich, or no great things can be expected as to early, well-flavoured, and handsome productions. The soil should be sweet, that the nutriment which the roots receive may be wholesome; free, that they may be at liberty to range in quest of it; and rich, that quick growth - the most essential point in the rearing of vegetables, to ensure crispnes's and tenderness - may be ensured. It must be borne in mind that vegetables are not possessed of any powers of a locomotive description; in short, they cannot, like the animal creation, range from place to place in search of food. They can grow only where planted, and, consequently, they must be supplied by different means with nourishment, and that according to their various habits and constitutions. . It must also be remembered that soil, exclusive of vegetable matter and water, furnishes nothing to a plant, and is of no further use than that of providing them with a medium by which they may fix themselves in a particular spot; hence the importance in the application of manure.

Digging or trenching and pulverizing the soil in the summer and winter, and, indeed, at all times when the ground is vacant, greatly improves it, and that according to its adhesive texture - being indispensable to strong clay - to separate and ameliorate the parts. This) amelioration and separation is principally effected by frost, which circumstance may be explained on the principle that the expansion of the water contained in the soil during its congelation increases about one-twelfth its whole volume, and in its contraction of bulk during a thaw, leaves the parts so extended, separated from each other, and so makes the soil more susceptible to the influence of sun and air. The object in pulverizing the soil is to give free and sufficient scope to the roots of vegetables, which should bo abundant, otherwise no plant will become vigorous, let the soil in which it is planted be ever so rich. The fibres of the root take up the nutriment they meet with in the soil by intro-susception, and the quantity taken up does not depend alone on the quantity of the soil, but on the number of absorbing fibres. The more the soil is pulverized the greater is the increase of absorbing fibres, consequently the more vigorous does the plant become.

Upon the same principle pulverization is of advantage not only previous to sowing and planting, but is found considerably so during the progress of vegetation, when applied in the intervals among the plants while the crop is standing. In the last case it may be considered to operate by way of pruning, as cutting off the ends of the extending fibres causes them to put out numerous others, thus increasing the number of mouths or feeders, whereby a greater quantity of food is taken up to the support of the plant. The increase of the number of fibres is as the inter-pulverization; but it must be considered that the strength of the vegetable, in consequence of the multiplicity of fibres, depends very much on the quantity and quality of the food in the soil. Again, the] depth of pulverization depends, in a very great measure, upon the nature of the soil; that is to say, in rich clayey soil it cannot well be too deep, for when the roots of vegetables are low down in the earth they are not so liable to be injured either by drought or excess of rain.

It is well known to cultivators of experience that aeration, or exposure of soils to the atmosphere, greatly improves them, as is witnessed by its effect on compost heaps, and in winter and summer ridging and trenching.

Ridging

This operation is applicable either to dug or trenched ground, and when finished the surface, instead of being an even one, lies in ridges or close parallel elevations, the sections of which form nearly equilateral triangles, connected at their bases. Thus double the space of surface is exposed to the influence of the atmosphere and weather than would be the case with an even one.

Trenching

This is an operation calculated to improve all soils, having two objects in view: first the mixing and pulverizing of them; and secondly, the changing of their surface.

A Grievance And Its Remedy

Gardeners and cultivators are frequently heard to complain of their ground being, as it were, worn out, and incapable of producing certain vegetables: not that it is poor, or its nature unfit for them, but that it has become tired of these crops from their having been grown upon it for several successive seasons, notwithstanding manures had been regularly applied. Now the best method with which we are acquainted for the conservation of the fertility of such land is this: - To take three crops off the first surface, and then trench the ground three spits deep, which operation is performed by first opening a trench two or three feet wide, carrying the soil so taken out to the end where it is intended to finish the plot. Then another strip, the same width, is to be begun, and one spit of the top surface thrown to the bottom of the first trench. Having thrown in the crumbs of the first stratum, the next spit under must be cast upon the first in the same way, and the third upon the second, by which means the top and bottom spits are reversed, and the middle one in the centre as previously.