Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-02-05
farmer S department.
suRsoII, GARDENING.

truded upon. Now the fact is, too many OF
s.us have long been looking at the surface of
things, instead Of penetrating into the SUBJ
soil below and examining its texture, to see
| if mine of wealth be not there secreted.
The period has arrived when gardening
must commence, and those whose garden
plots are underlaid with stiff, tenacious
subsoil, would do we'll by considering wheth-
err some measure might not be taken with it
that would render it more certainly produc-
tive. 1t has been demonstrated beyond
cavil, that when tenacious subsoil, is dug
and loosened up, without bringing it to the
surface, or mixing it with the vegetable
mould of the surface soil; if the season is
very wet, the water descends into it readily,
and the plants are protected from the injury
of their food being too much diluted with
water; and if drought comes on, the roots
penetrate deeper, and are benefited by the
reservoir of moisture which lies below; and
the capillary attraction in the earth brings
the moisture upwards to the surface, and
feeds and refreshes the vegetables. Any
way you may fix it, it does much good, like
all those good, honest old rules, that work
we'll either end foremost.
The way to work it is to dig a little gutter
spit deep and the width of the spade, along
the side of the bed, and throw the surface
earth which comes out of it to the other end
of the bed which is to be dug, where it will
be required for the purpose of filling the
trench which will be left at the conclusion of
the work. Then begin at one end of this
gutter and dig it up, and turn it over in the
bottom, from end to end when this is done,
begin and dig in the usual way, turning
down the surface soil on to the subsoil which
has just been dug; doing this from end to
end properly, will leave another gutter,
which dig and overturn as before; and so
proceed till the bed is all dug two spits deep;
the subsoil being turned topsyturvy, but
none of it being brought up or mixed with
the surface mould.
Trenching differs from this in turning the
whole over, and bringing the subsoil, to the
surface, but that would be inexpedient
when the vegetable mould was now at least
two spits deep, unless the.ground should be
very heavily manured.
Now what is the objection to putting a
garden through this salutary process? None
at all, excepting that it will require twice the
amount of labor; and this may appear to
some a serious objection, but its adoption
once in four or FIVE years may be sufficient,
unless the soil is very stiff and intractable,
and it enables the gardner gradually every
year, to extend his diggings little deeper
into the subsoil, and by bringing up to the
surface small portion Of it annually, the
surface soil is constantly gaining depth,
which is matter of prime Importance in
obtaining good crops with much greater GER
tainty .-
Should it be too serious an undertaking TO
overturn whole garden in this way in one
season, try single bed this spring, and be-
come convinced of the importance of doing
everything you undertake in the way you
are capable of; and then resolve never again
to do anything ~rN enough which means, in
common parlance, just as bad as will in any
way answer the purpose for the time being.
The foregoing plan has no novelty in it, for
it has been often done, with the greatest ad
vantage resulting from it. There is no un-
tried theory about it that need scare the
most timid and the writer does not expect
to gain anything further by the suggestion,
than the pleasure of seeing many more good
gardens, stocked with delicious, Aourishing
vegetables, than he has in time past witnessed.
PROFITS OF A SMALL LOT.
There is no way in which the m"lt~m IN
parro idea can be more completely and beam
tifully realized, than in the cultivation of
the ground. We wish those who say they
have no land worth improving, would try
how much they can raise on a very little, on
ly that we may enjoy their own surprise at
their own success And if any of our rea
ders say they have not even very little, on
ly quarter of an acre, we can say they have
great deal in comparison with ourselves
Our dwelling, front yard, back yard, cistern,
out houses, poultry house, kitchen garden,
peach orchard, and flower garden, occupy
space of fifty feet by hundred, which is less
than one-eighth of an acre. Upon this small
portion of the North American Continent,
we have room to cultivate quite variety of
choice roses, verbeuas, hyacinths, turboroses,
chrysanthemums and dahlias. These occu-
py space of twenty-five feet square, and a.
bout the same space is devoted to our kitchen
garden, hanked by half dozen young peach
trees, and capable of producing respectable
quantity of carrots, onions, beets, tomatoes,
and radishes Being somewhat enthusiastic
on the subject Of poultry, we have used
large portion of the remainder for their ac::
commodation, and have raised in the past
summer one hundred and fifty chickens,
chiefly Brama Pootras, and Cochas, the pro-
fit on which is probably something more than
the cultivation of the ground devoted to them
would have yielded. But how few there
are, not absolutely confined within the city
walls, who have not more than this at their
disposal Yet, the large majority of those
who have yard and garden space to the ex-
tent of an acre, content themselves with raj
sing few potatoes and cabbages. They
deprive themselves not only Of the advant-
age of having good supply of vegetables,
but also of the benefit Of the exercise which