A dictionary of modern gardening - University Library

DIG 198 DIG
that if one corner is much lower than
another, carry on the lower part somerequired
to reduce ice or snow from the
solid to the fluid state. A pound of
what first, in a kind of easy sweep or snow newly fallen requires an equal
slanting direction, as far as necessary, weight of water, heated to 172°, to melt
Likewise, in finishing any pieces of dig- it, and then the dissolved mixture is only
ging, gradually round upon the lower of the temperature of 32^. Ice requires
side so as to finish at the highest corner;
and having digged to the end, or that
the water to he a few degrees \^ armer,
to produce the same result. When ice
part of any piece of ground where you or snow is allowed to remain on the
intend to finish, then use tiie earth dig- surface, the quantity of heat necessary
ged out of the first trench to make good to reduce it to a fluid state is obtained
the last opening equal with the other chiefly from the atmosphere; but when
ground. In plain digging dunged buried so that the atmospheric heat canground,
if the dung is quite rotten, you not act directly upon it, the thawing
may dig clean through, giving each spit must be very slowly effected, by the
abstraction of heat from the soil by
a clean turn to bury the dung in the |
bottom of the trench ; but if you cannot which the frozen mass is surrounded,
I
;
i
!
readily dg this, trim the dung a spade's Instances have occurred of frozen soil
width at a time into the furrow or open not being completely thawed at midtrench,
and so dig the ground upon it, summer; when so, the air, which fills
which is rather the most effectual tiie interstices of the soil, will be conmethod,
whether rotten or long fresh tinually undergoing condensation as it
dung.
" In the course
comes in contact with the cold portions;
of digging all weeds and, accordingly, the latter will be in a
that are perennial should be carefully very saturated condition even after they
picked out, particularly couch-grass and have become thawed.— Card. Chron.
bear-bind ; for the least bit of either Very few people ever consider in de-
will grow. But annual weeds, groundtail the expenditure of labour required
sel, and the like, should be turned down from the gardener when digging. It is
to the bottom of the trench, where they a labour above all others calling into
v/ill rot.
" A man will dig by plain digging of
exercise the muscles of the human
frame, and how great is the amount of
light free-working clean ground, eight, this exercise may be estimated from the
ten, or twelve rods a day, from six to six, following facts:
though in some of the light clean ground In digging a square perch of ground
about London, I have known a man turn in spits of the usual dimensions (seven
up fifteen or twenty rods a day, from inches by eight inches) the spade has to
five to seven ; on the other hand, in stiff be thrust in 700 times; and as each
stubborn soils, a man may work hard spadeful of earth, if the spade pene-
for six or eight rods in a day of twelve trates nine inches, as it ought to do,
hours; and that digging by trenches, or will weigh on the average full seventeen
trenching, if only one spade deep with- pounds, 11,900 pounds of earth have to
out the crumbs or shovelling at bottom, be lifted, and the customary pay for
a man will dig almost as much as by doing this is two-pence half-penny. As
plain digging; or two spades' depth, there are 100 perches or rods in an acre,
from four to six rods a day may be good in digging the latter measure of ground
work, though in harsh working ground the garden labourer has to cut out 1 12,digging
three or four rods per day may 000 spadesful of earth, weighing in the
be hard work." Most garden soils dig aggregate 17,000 cwt., or 8.50 tons,
best the day after a fall of rain; and if and during the work he moves over a
the soil has in its composition a larger distance of fourteen miles. As the
proportion than usual of clay, the opera- spade weighs between eight and nine
tion will be faciliated by dipping occa- pounds, he has to lift, in fact, during the
sionally the spade into water. Most
gardeners object to digging while snow
work, half as much more weight than
that above specified, or 1,278 tons. An
18 upon the ground, and, as Dr. Lindley
justly observes, the objection is not
able-bodied labourer can dig ten square
perches a day. A four-pronged fork,
mere prejudice, for experience proves with the prongs twelve inches long, and
the bad result of the practice. The evil the whole together forming a head eight
is owing to the great quantity of heat inches wide, is a more efficient tool for
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