TRENCHING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 88, 15 April 1933, Page 6 (Supplement)

TRENCHING.

A PERIODICAL WORK.

There is liardly any work in the garden that is more important than trenching. Unless ground, is "tienched periodically, so as to increase its depth and improve its fertility, it will never produce the best crops it is capable of doing. Trenching should be carried out in a thorough and systematic manner, and the manner of doing depends upon the nature of the soil. The ground to be trenched should be divided into two equal parts by a line (made with a spade will do) running its full length. Then from the top end of one half, as at A, dig out the soil 2ft deep and wide, and place it just off the end of the other half ae shown at B in accompanying sketch. Then fork up the bottom, sdil of the trench and dig the next lot of soil into it, thus making another trench, which must he filled in the same way, and so on until the half is finished. Then the worker, turning round and working back in the opposite direction, takes, out a trench on the end of tlie other half of the ground, fUi shown at C, filling the trench on the first half with the soil taken out as shown at D. When the worker has trenched the second half of the ground he will, of course, have a trench left- at the end from which he started. ■ This must be filled with the soil taken out from the first trench

made, and which was placed in position for the purpose, as shown at B. It will be seen that in trenching land the whole soil to the depth of 2ft or more changes places; the subsoil comes to the top and the surface soil is buried. Unless the soil has been cultivated for some time and has been trenched before, complete trenching should not be carried out, for the subsoil would most probably be unsuitable for bringing to the top, while the surface soil, being the best, would be buried. However, to get the best results from garden soil it ought to be trenched periodically. Half or bastard trenching is the best and proper thing to do if the subsoil haa not been trenched before. To do this the operator marks out the ground as before, but instead of taking out the soli to a depth of 2ft he must take it out only 12in, merely breaking up and turning the bottom spit. Some decayed manure should bo placed upon tho latter. This breaking up of the subsoil and mixing manure with it will soon improve it, and when next tho garden is trenched in two or three years' time the subsoil may be to the top.