| Show SOIL FOR PLANTING when is the proper time for preparing to plant ones garden the united states department of agricultures Agri cultures specialist says that in the spring as soon as the soil has dried so that thata a handful when grasped in the hand and gripped by the fingers will slowly fall apart upon being released it is in a fit mechanical condition to prepare for planting clay or heavy soils should never be worked while wetmore injury may be done by joing doing this than can be overcome in in several years of careful culture when the soil is found dry as described above the upper three inches should be made fine by the use of the hoe and steel tooth rake all rubbish stones and clods should be removed and the surface made even somewhat compact and as level as the contour of the area will permit it may then be marked off for planting in conformity to the general plan of the garden much of the soil in the average back yard is not only poor in plant food and deficient in decaying vegetable matter but it is is hard and unyielding however such is the basis which many a housewife or child has to use for the making of a garden teachers who plan school gardens for their pupils also have similar conditions to meet there fore in order to get good results earful attention must be given to the preparation of the soil I 1 soils which are naturally moist are likely to be sour and so not in the best condition for the crop whether sour or not it will be well to have the pupils test them which can be iona done as follows secure from a drug store a piece of blue litmus paper then take a handful of the soil slightly moistened and place the paper on it if sour the paper will turn red to correct such a condition lime should be used cover the ground with a thin coat of air slaked lime which can probably be secured nearby at small cost and work this in well the use of the lime while not a plant food will correct the acidity and will improve the physical condition condi cond ion fion of the soil goil if the soil is clayey or a stiff clay loam and the location ilfin is in a section where severe freezing occurs it will be found a decided advantage to give the area a heavy dressing of decomposed manure in the autumn and before freezing wh eather setsu getsin in I 1 spade the land so as to turn the manure under and leave the soil in a rough lumpy condition so as to secure the benefit of th the e digestive of the winter freezes in reducing the soils this should be repeated annually at the north if the soil is light and sandy a mulch of manure may be spread over it in the fall and the spading delayed until spring in localities where the soil does not freeze the manure may be applied in the autumn and the soil repeatedly spaded during the winter whenever it is dry enough to be worked the value of freezing at the north can to an extent be attained by repeated spa dings atthe south the one general precaution which should always be observed is never stir the soil while it is wet |
