The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-08-12
BUILDING Up a Garden Soil.

Having some years since purchased
and removed to new place in our
village found myself confronted with
the fact that had no suitable place
for garden.
Now a garden Of greater or less
dimensions has always been to me one
of the actual necessities, hence l be-
gan at once to cast about as to how
to overcome the obstacles to success
along the line.
The lot / had purchased and upon
which my present residence is built
being so located that the whole lot had
to be filled and graded up to the depth
of several feet of course none of the
original soil remained at the surface.
And the filling having been ION the
part where desired to make my vege.
table garden) all done from bank ad-
jacent composed of an almost clear
gravel with an admixture of sand 1t
really amounted to simply a gravel
bank on which to construct-if that Is
the proper expression-a garden soil.
OF course l might if could find the
place from which to procure 1t have
had a surface soil suited to gardening
drawn and covered over the garden
plot.
But knew of no place where could
obtain such soil and even IL could 1t
would have been expensive to hire 1t
carted for this purpose and decided
to try If could not secure the desired
Lit hA n
gravel of the elements necessary for
producing and sustaining a growth Of
garden crops.
First off then I knew that It would
be important in a soil constituted SO
largely of clean gravel as was this to
add largely of humus in some form
and to this end ! made heavy ap-
plication of partially rotted stable ma
nure but coarse enough that 1t con-
tanned large proportion Of decay in
vegetation.
This I supplemented with a. heavy
application of commercial fertilizer
containing large percentage Of nitro
gen and phosphoric acid but low in
potash as | had an abundant supply Of
wood ashes which used for that ele-
ment furnishing it thus more cheaply
than could in any other form.
Then upon the surface used .
heavy mulch of stable manure about
all the coarser growing vegetables,
this helping to retain the moisture and
at the same time making gradual but
continuous addition of humus in the
process of decay.
The first seasons growth was fairly
satisfactory although the season was
a dry one and the soil of course was
somewhat lacking in retentive power
but the following year repetition Of
the application of a generous top
dressing of stable manure in combin-
atIon with the undecayed portions Of
the mulch applied the previous season
seemed to perceptibly increase the hui
mus contents Of the soil and the gar
den crops grown thereon this second
year were very satisfactory.
And the past seasons growth-the
third in succession from the starting
| point has been so entirely satisfactory
with all classes of vegetables grown
as to warrant me in recommending a
trial of this method of soil building to
any who may have occasion to try a
like experiment.
AS | have said the growth of all
vegetables thereon has been most sat
isfactory and successful and with some
such as melons, early cucumbers, to-
matoes, sweet corn, otc., requiring a
warm soil the results have been par
ticularly satisfactory.-E. ]. Brownell,
in Farm, Field and Fireside.
It's generally the people who know
| the least that tell the most.