SOILS. 



300 



SOLIDAGO. 



Snails, — See He'lix. 



Snail-flower. — Phaseolus Ca- 

 racdlla. — A climbiTig plant, a native 

 of India, with lilac liowers, nearly- 

 allied to the Scarlet-runner. 



Snake-gourd, — Trichosdnthes 

 anguina. — A very curious plant, 

 •with white flowers, eveiy petal of 

 which appears surrounded with long 

 knotted fringe. The leaves and ten- 

 drils resemble those of the common 

 Cucumber ; but the fruit is curiously- 

 striped, and is so long and narrow as 

 to resemble a snake. Specimens 

 have indeed been grown more than 

 six feet long, and not thicker than 

 the body of a common snake. The 

 plant is an annual, a native of 

 China, and it should be grown in 

 a frame like a common Cucumber 

 or Melon. It is of no use, and 

 only worth cultivating as an object 

 of curiosity. 



Snake-wood. — Ceanothus colu- 

 hrinus. 



Snapdragon. — See Antirrhi'- 



NUM. 



Snowball tree. — See Vibu'r- 



NUM. 



Snowberry. — See Symphori- 

 ca'rpus. 



Snowdrop. — See Gala'nthus. 



Snowdrop tree.— See Hale'sia. 



Snowflake, — See Leuco'jum. 



Soap-berry. — See Sapi'ndus. 



Soap- WORT.— See Sapona'ria. 



Soils are of two kinds, the sur- 

 face soils, and the subsoils ; the 

 first being what are generally under- 

 stood by the word soils, and the 

 second being proi>erly designated 

 earths. Soils, according to this 

 definition, consist of the crumbling 

 surface of one of the primitive 

 earths, mixed with decayed animal 

 or vegetable matter, and perhaps 

 with particles of some other earth 

 which may have been washed down 

 by rains, or otherwise accidentally 

 mingled with it. Thus, clay is one 



of the primitive earths ; but loam, 

 which is compounded of the crum- 

 bling surface of the clay, mixed with 

 I decayed animal and vegetable sub- 

 i stances, is a soil. In the like manner, 

 ' lime is an earth, but chalk is a soil. 

 i When several kinds of soil are mixed 

 ; together, and intermingled with 

 manures, the mixture is called a 

 compost. All soils which contain 

 ; a considerable portion of sand or 

 peat are called light ; and all soils 

 i containing sand and clay are called 

 loamy. What is called a light rich 

 , soil is genei'ally composed of very 

 I sandy loam, mixed with vegetable 

 mould, or the sifted remains of an 

 old hotbed. 



Sola'num. — Solanacece. — The 

 Nightshade. — The flowers of the 

 plants belonging to this extensive 

 genus all more or less resemble 

 those of the common climbing Night- 

 shade, or Bitter-sweet of the hedges, 

 and indeed those of the Potato, which 

 j belongs to this genus. They are all 

 : rather pretty, but their foliage is too 

 ; coarse to be ornamental. *S', campa- 

 nuldtura is perhaps the handsomest 

 I species. Some of the species require 

 i a stove, others the greenhouse, and 

 others the open air ; but they all 

 agree in liking a rich light soil, and 

 j they all grow well in a mixture of 

 [ loam and peat, enriched with vege- 

 table mould. 



Soldane'lla. — Primulcicece. — 



Beautiful little alpine plants, very 



I suitable for rock-work, some with 



i purple, and some with blue flowers. 



I They should be grown in heath- 



I mould, or in peat mixed with very 



sandy loam ; and they are increased 



i by seeds, or by dividing the root. 



They are generally grown in small 



; pots, and they should neither have 



j too much nor too little water. 



|x Solida'go.— ComfJositcB. — Golden 



j Rod. — Perennial plants, quite hardy 



, in British gardens, where they flower 



