86 ROCK GARDENS 



with regard to it we can assist or adapt the 

 natural soil to meet our needs. 



Leaving for the present those plants which 

 require a special receipt for their nutriment, 

 as a general rule the majority of alpines 

 like a cool, deep, light, and gritty soil, rich 

 in humus, such as a good light fibrous loam. 

 Anything in the nature of a clay-soil is to be 

 avoided, for in winter it is liable to get sodden, 

 owing to its being very difficult to drain effec- 

 tively, and in summer to bake and crack. It 

 would be difficult to get anything better than 

 the top 6 inches or so of an old pasture, if 

 the soil is of a loamy description. 



Unless the soil is naturally very light and 

 gravelly, sand will have to be mixed with it : 

 good sharp river sand is the best. Small broken 

 stones, such as would pass through a J-inch 

 riddle, are beneficial. Alpines like, above all 

 things, to get their roots round and between 

 stones ; it keeps them cool and damp, as stones 

 retain moisture much longer than the soil 

 and are not so easily affected by change of 

 temperature. 



If the garden is of large extent and the 



