Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1903-08-07
Agricultural.
Building Up a Garden Soil.

Having some years since purchased |
and removed to new place in our vii
lsge found myself confronted with the
fact that had no suitable place for
garden.
Now a garden, of greater or less d.
mansions, has always been to me one of
the actual necessities, hence began at
once to cast about as to how to over
come the obstacles to success along the
line.
The lot | had purchased and upon
which my present residence is built be-
ing so located that the whole lot had to
be filed and graded up to the depth of
several feet of course none of the origi-
nal soil remained at the surface.
And the filing having been Con 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, it
really amounted to simply gravel bank
on which to construct-if that is the
proper expression-a garden soil.
Of course | might, if could find
the place from which to procure it, have
had surface soil suited to gardening
drawn and covered over the garden
rlct
But knew Of no place where could
obtain suo ill, and even if l could it
wobld have boon expensive to hire it
csgted tor a purpose, and | decided to
~ he
eolts BY making the addition to this
gravel Of the elements so necessary for
producing I'D sustaining growth of
"a len crop
l knew Ht it would be important in
a soil comet uted so largely of clean
gravel rs this, to add lar ely of
humus. a ne form, and to this end
made heavy application Of partially
rotted stable manure, but coarse enough
that it contained large proportion of
dccaying vegetation.
This supplemented with heavy ap-
plication of commercial fertilizer con-
tanning large percentage Of nitrogen
and phosphoric acid but low in potash
as bad an abundant supply Of wood
ashes which l used for that element fur
nishing it thus more chesply than |
could in any other form.
Then upon the surface l used heavy
mulch of stable manure about all the
coarser growing vegetables, this help
ing to retain the moisture and at the
same time making gradual but con-
tinuous addition of humus in the pro-
cess of decay.
The FIRST seasons growth was fairly
satisfactory, although the season was
dry one and the soil OF course was some
what lacking in rententive power, but
the following year a repetition of the
application OF generous top-dressing
of stable manure in combination with
the undecayod portions Of the mulch ap,
piled the previous season seemed t. per-
ceptibly increase the humus contents Of
the soil and the garden crops grown
thereon this second year were very sat
isfac ory.
And the past seasons erowth-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 trial
of this method of soil building to any
who may have occasion to try like
experiment.
As | have said the growth of all vege-
tables thereon has been most satisfac-
tory and successful and with some such
as melons, early cucumbers, tomatoes,
sweet corn, etc requiring warm soil
the results have been particularly salts
factory j. Brownell, in Farm,
Field and Fireslde.