METHODS OF IMPROVEMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 22

METHODS OF IMPROVEMENT

THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTUMN WORK Whenever an article appears on the eternal topic of soil cultivation, someUhing seems bound to be written which gives rise to a deal of correspondence, but more often omissions are commented upon, and requests are made bv many readers for further details on certain points. The subject is too big and too complex to be thoroughly covered by one article, but the proper treatment of the soil is so vitally important a factor in gardening that no apology need be made for reverting to it at frequent intervals. Not long since, an article appeared which wound up with a reference to the question of dealing with rough turf when breaking up new ground. We have not the copy of that article at the moment, but without attempting precisely to quote it. the gist of the statement was that some writers advocate burying the rough turf during the process of digging, but. we added, this may be beneficial on heavy clay soils, but on light soils it may do harm. TURF ON NEW GARDEN LAND It was rather unfortunate that the article had to end abruptly there: we had actually put into type a few further sentences, but had to delete them to make the article fit the space available. We are too well aware 01 the virtue of good turf loam to have wished' to convey the idea that, even on good soil, much less on sandy, hungry soil, the turf should be pared off and discarded. Rough pieces of turf, buried ir the second spit of a plot of stiff, wet clay soil, will help considerably to keep the clay from consolidating, and thus facilitate the escape of rain water from the top spit during very wet periods. It is a different matter when one is dealing with light, sandy soil. Turf buried a foot or more below the surface of such soil will be unrptted for an extraordinary length of time, and all the while it will keep the subsoil hollow, often letting water escape too freely, and rendering it impossible to secure the even degree of firmness which is essential to proper root development of most classes of plants. In our experience of over half a century of gardening on widely different soils we have proved it to be better to pare off the turf, stack it fairly deeply, and let it have a 12-month round to decompose. At the end of that time, all but the walls and roof will have rotted down to make excellent fibrous loam. This can be chopped down with a keenedged spade, spread over the ground, and dug into the top spit, where it will do its maximum amount of good. INCREASE HUMUS CONTENT

In the meantime every effort is needed to increase the humus content of either loose, sandy soil, or stiff, unwieldy clay, and that is why we advocate sowing new ground with a quickgrowing green crop for digging in as green manure. We prefer to do the sowing during February and March, digging the crop in as soon as a good coat of soft growth has been made. When it is convenient to carry out that programme, it is worth while to make an early spring sowing, and dig the crop in before planting summer bedding plants or sowing summer salads, etc. An alternative to that course would be to dig in all the roPed vegetable matter available during winter digging. We have sometimes been chidded by readers for having advised burning instead of burying rubbish, but we do so only when foliage and stems are infested with dangerous plant foes, or which clippings of ivy, laurel, yew pine needles, and the like are liable to make the Soil unhealthy We certainly do not condone burning good, wholesome herbage, so long as the soil of the garden wants more humus. There will nevei Ot uniformity ot opinion about soil management. We are reminded of a man who refused to believe that it is sound policy to disturb clay soil in autumn because winter rains work the surface down to - a pasty mass which sets in a hard crust in spring. Something of that sort is bound to happen if we get a wet. mild winter, but even without autumn digging. stiff clay soil will be bad to work in wow if the winter has been wet, and against chat there is, unquestionably, tremendous advantage in having stubborn ground loosely dug before a spell of keen frost Many things may be brought into service while dealing with the difficult task of opening up and lightening an adhesive clay Peat is useful, especially if it is of rough fibrous character It is absorbent, and will hold up a lot of moisture which would otherwise remain in the clay; also it expands and contracts more rapidly than clay. We have seen a stretch of horribly stiff clay treated in quite an unusual way but with wonderfully good re-

suits. The ground was dug in autumn in such a manner that, when the task was finished, it lay in ridges and hollows. The ridges were liberally dressed with half-slaked lime, but along all the hollows, peas haulm, the vines of runne. beans, c tops from asparagus beds, and straw were placed in a layer almost six inches thick, and covered with only about two or three inches of soil. During winter the hollows were frequently covered with water, and because the green rubbish and straw lay shallow and wet, decay had far advanced by spiing. The lime had pulverised the clay of the ridges. Then the whole area was dug, starting so that the trench crossed the ends of the ridges and hollows. This facilitated mixing the limed soil with the decaying vegetable matter, and soon after digging it was possible to rake down the surface to a tolerably fine tilth. Hop manure was applied during this spring digging, and later that year we saw some magnificent vegetables growing on what had been thought almost an impossible soil. It is too much to expect to'reduce heavy, wet clay to a "date of perfect friability in one season but with perseverance and patience stubborn clay can be made fertile, ana is then more productive and resistant to drought than lieht soils.—Domarin in Amateur Gardening.