COM 



161 



CON 



The food of plants, whether imbibed | the convenience of moving the pots to 



by their roots or their leaves, must be 

 either in a liqiiid, or a <raseous form. 

 In these states, most plants obtain a 

 large portion of their food from the 

 atmosphere, decomposing its carbonic 

 acid, and water, and retaining only so 



it, in the potting season ; conveyance of 

 manures, &c. All the earths and ma- 

 nures should be under a shed, and the 

 dungs, being liable to lose much of 

 their fertile components in drainage, 

 should be in water-tight tanks ; and if 



much of their carbon, hydrogen, and \ these are covered all the better 



oxygen, as they retniire. From the | COMPTONIA axplenifolia. Hardy 



same source also they obtain nitrogen, deciduous slirub. Layers. Sandy loam 



But they do not obtain these from the or peat. 



atmosphere alone„ The roots alsoj CON A NTH ERA. Two species. 



obtain thom from the soil. Animal and 1 Green-house bulbous perennials. Ofi- 



vegetablc matters, as they decay, give j sets. Light sandy loam. 



out carbonic acid; and partly decom- CONIFER.^ or cone-bearing trees 



pose into mucilage, soluble in water, j and shrubs are numerous, embracing 



both of which are rapidly imbibed by 

 the roots. Composts, therefore, should 

 contain these decomposing matters in 

 such proportion, as to give the plants, 

 to which they are applied, the vigour 

 required. If leaves are re(juired to be 

 largely developed, the compost can be 

 scarcely too rich ; for the greater the 

 quantity of food imbibed by the roots, 

 the greater will be the surface of leaves 

 requisite for its elaboration. But if 

 flowers and fruit, as well as leaves, are 

 desired, the composts, if excessively 

 rich, will cause these to diminish in 

 number and size, the flower-buds pass- 

 ing into leaf-buds for the reason already 

 alleged. 



Composts must also duly regulate 

 the amount of moisture supplied to the 

 roots, totally independent of drainage, 

 as compost retains to them moisture by 

 itschemical and capillary powers. The 

 richer in decomposing animal and vege- 

 table matter, — the richer in alumina, 

 (clay), — and the looser its texture, the 

 better does a compost retain water. 

 And this power is diminished in pro- 

 portion as siliceous sand, or calcareous 

 (chalky) matters preponderate. 



Mr. Errington, {Gardenfr's Chroni- 

 cle, 184.5,) prepares his composts from 

 strong tenacious loam ; half-rotten leaf- 

 mould; heath-soil ; horse-manure; cow- 

 manure ; charcoal and wood ashes ; 

 bone-dust; sharp sand ; burnt turf; and 

 moss well scalded; and, from these 

 materials there is no doubt that a com- 

 post could be prepared, embracing any 

 desired degree of fertility. — See Ma- 

 nures and Potting. 



COAH'OST-G ROUND. This should 

 be an enclosure, concealed from sight, 

 but in the vicinity of the hot-beds, hot- 

 houses, and other similar structures, for 

 11 



the Pines, Larches, Firs, Cedars, Juni- 

 pers, and Thuyas. 



COMMON HARDY SPECIES. 



Juniperus virginiana. 

 Cupressus tlitiyoides. 



sempervirens. 



Pinus balsamea. 



larix. 



canadensis. 



sylvcstiris. 



picea. 



Thuya occidcntalis. 



orientalis. 



Rarer kinds are thus classed by Mr. 

 G. Gordon, of the Chiswick Gardens : — 

 Section I. — Mexican Species. 



1st Division. — Fine-leaved, with long 

 slender leaves ; these may be expected 

 not to be so hardy as the other species 

 belonging to this section. 



Pinus Tcrocote. 



patula. 



apulcencis. 



Devoniana. 



macrophylla. 



Pseudo-Strobus. 



Leiophylla. 



Oocarpa. 



Oocarpoides. 



filjfolia. 



Montezuma^. 



2d Division. — Swamp Pines, with 

 Ions leaves and few branches, like P. 

 pallustris ; they may be expected to 

 prove hardy. 



Pinus Hartwegii. 



Russelliana. 



