MANAGEMENT 173 
almost a factory, where he must take his raw ma- 
terials — earth, water, heat, light, and the wonder- 
ful thread of life, and mold these all into a hun- 
dred marvelous forms of beauty and utility. Some- 
thing of art, something of science, something of 
business, must all be brought to his interesting work. 
Let us begin then at the bottom. What is the 
best kind of dirt to use? It should be friable, so 
that it will not bake and cake in the pots; rich, that 
the little plants may readily find ample nourishment ; 
porous, that water may be soaked up readily, and 
any surplus drained off freely. A soil answering 
all these requirements is made as follows: cut from 
an old ditch or fence-side, thick sods, and stack them 
with the grass sides together to rot. This heap 
should be forked over several times, when it has 
begun to decompose. In dry weather, if within 
reach of the hose, a good soaking occasionally will 
help the process along. The sods should be cut 
during spring or summer. To this pile of sod, 
when well rotted (or at time of using), add one- 
third in bulk of thoroughly rotted manure — cow 
and horse mixed, and a year old, if it can be ob- 
tained — and mix thoroughly. If the soil is clayey 
or heavy, add enough coarse sand and make it fine 
and friable, or use a larger proportion of the 
manure. lLeaf-mould, from the woods, will also be 
good to lighten it with. This one mixture will do 
for all your potting. Keep enough of it under 
