GROWING PLANTS IN POTS. 159 



others to promote its free and healthy development. It may 

 be, therefore, set do-^n as a most important rule, that nothing 

 so small as a good sized filbert-niit should be stopped by a 

 sieve, and that even the lumps of various kinds and fibres, 

 left in such a sieve as ^^ill let the size of a nut through, 

 should be rubbed on the bottom so long as any could be 

 pushed through. Many only pick out the larger stones, and 

 do not sift at all; but the operation of sifting is good, for if 

 we watch the stuff, almost every grub is exjDosed, so that it 

 may be picked out ; and there is always some kind of rubbish 

 that would interrupt us in potting, when pots up to six inches 

 diameter are used. For pots of a large size, nothing so 

 small as a walnut should be stopped — we mean a walnut of 

 the ordinary kind, with the green shell off. The coarse stuff 

 stopped by the sieve makes a very good upper surface for the 

 drainage, and is therefore always of use. The rubbing of it 

 through the sieve breaks adhesive lumps, and drives through 

 fibrous matter that will be always valuable in the soil, tliouL;h 

 if in matted lumps it would be in the way. 



The most valuable soil, as a general stock, is that from the 

 surface of a good pasture, cut not more than three inches 

 thick, and piled up to rot. After a year or two, this kind of 

 soil is invaluable ; it is at least half vegetable matter, which 

 affords the best of nourishment, and, generally speaking, the 

 other is a wholesome friable loam. 'No soil requires sifting 

 more than this, to break the matted lumps and expose the 

 grubs — with which it too often abounds — as each sieve-full is 

 spread in the operation on the heap. It is always worth 

 while to set three at this job, if there is much of it ; one to 

 chop the heap down in thin slices, as it were, and fill the 

 sieve ; a second to sift and rub it through ; and a third to 

 pick out wire-worms, grubs and insects of any kind, as they 

 fall from the sieve. 



Another valuable soil is the top spit from a peat common, 

 a soil naturally poor and porous, matted together firmly, com- 

 posed of half-decayed vegetable fibre and sand, excellent to 

 mix in compost for all plants with extremely fine fibrous* 

 roots, such as heaths, Botany Bay or Cape plants, and all 

 others requiring open light soil. This should also be chopped 

 small and rubbed through a sieve. If the lumps of fibrous 

 matter be only chopped small enough to go through the 

 proper sieve, it would not matter if it were no smaller. 



