Farm And Garden

In preparing the soil lor future crops frost is called in to help in securing fin6 tüth. This is done by so handling tha soiJ, late in the fall, that it will be most freely exposed to freeziug during the winter. How this may be done in the case of flower beds and small i table plots, that are worked with, the spade, ia suggested by the accompanying sketch from American Gardening. The main idea involved is the turning over of the soil and loaving it in the roughest possible shape, just as it falls from the spade, with no breakiug up. This with a viow to its layiug so loóse that the cold can readily penétrate the mass. In the engraving a shows the soil before spading aud b the same after spading. The principie on which the f rost acts favorably in improving tilth is in the rupturing of the soil partióles by expansión. In the accompauying figure at c is represented aclod of earth. The irregular rlark lines are meant to indicate the spaces between the soil partióles, which, in wet soil, art; filled with water. As a matter of fact these spaces are ruuch smaller than the engraving seems to show. The action of the frost causes to expand the soil partióles aud the water with which the earth may be charged. The result is that the soil particles are broken and separated in somewhat the same marnier as a bottle er jng in which water has frozeu is broken. The further result is that in proportion as flneness of soil is more favorable to seed and plant growtb, so the more completely the soil is divided by repeated freezinga and thawings during the time between crops the better for the coming erop. It ia noted in tbia connection that one need not, as in spring tillage, wait until the soil is qnite dry before spading, for it is au advantuge rather than otherwise to work it so wet that it leaves the spade in unbroken clods; the more interstices in the mass after it s thrown over the better. The difference in tbe following spring and snmmer between soil that has been fall worked as outlined and that which has remained untouched until spring, is most marked. Beds that were thus thrown up roughly in the fall come opt the following spring a mass of earth as fine as an ash heap. To overiook the gain that comes from killing the larvae of various destructive inseets by turning up the soil before winter would be a mistake. It is known by many actual tests that they die in largo nurnbera by winter freezing- Save tlio Winter Rain and Snows. Tbe winter rains and snows areaconstaut source of waste of water that might be held in natural basins oreasily constructed reservoirs for use in ing during the coming season. There ia 110 better time than the present for irrigators to investígate the subject of Hecnring au independent water supply, and Irrigation Age advises: If the soil is of a character to admit of constructing catchmeut reservoirs, let every available location be nsed. In the footbills of the mountain valleys are basementa covering from 1 to 50 acres where with a little vvork a large body of winter water raay be held. Small chaunels made with an ordinary plow will be sufficient to lead the water into the reservoirs. In thia manuer the rains ! that wonld otherwise swell the mountain streanis and runaway. causing frequent floods and damage, can be utilized j to fnruish moistnre for the next season. Protecting Water Pipes. Water pipes in uso about the farm cften give tronble in winter tbrougb , freezing. Tliere are situntious where a device illustrated ítj the New York I une wil] prove rflK'ac i ou s iu ; keepiug a pipe from freezing. Where tlie i pipa o m o r g e a from the ground it is surrouuded hy two or more lengths of 8 iuch dram pipe, the joints heilig tigiitly ceuipntcd. This gives n daad air space abont the pipe thut is very effective in keepin. out frost. If the pipe be wound With strips of feit n(i tarreil paper befoTO putting iu tho tiling, so much the better. If the water pipe comes up uildor a building, as a baru or atable, lut the tiling corue close up to the floor. ïhen hox the wliole about with lioartis, fiom the surfac-e of the ground to the floor, and two air spaoes will be secnred, to the great security of the water pipe.