PLANTING OUT IN BEDS, ETC. 39 



roots of the plant nice and cool in the hot Summer 

 weather. The Pansy is a plant delighting in a cool root 

 run, and in this soil we have all the elements conducive 

 to it. 



Finally to treat of a clay soil. This in its natural state 

 is almost, but not quite, as unsuitable for the growing of 

 Pansies as a sandy soil. Being of so heavy a texture, and 

 lacking porosity to a remarkable extent, it becomes im- 

 possible for the Pansy roots to penetrate so dense a 

 medium, and plants eventually fail through lack of root 

 action. 



However, clay soils can be vastly improved, and are 

 exceeding fertile when once they have been broken up, 

 manure incorporated, and left rough on the surface 

 during the Winter for the frosts to pulverise and sweeten. 



The ground should be dug thoroughly, and at the 

 same time every spadeful broken up and pulverised as 

 far as possible. Plenty of sand, together with leaf mould, 

 road grit, ashes, and anything else that will tend to 

 lighten the soil and make it friable, should be added. 



Of course, the effect of these modifying elements thus 

 introduced will not show immediate results of a first- 

 class character, and it may take some years even for 

 these operations to bear fruit, and for the ground to 

 become in good working order. 



PREPARATION OF SOIL IN BEDS AND BORDERS 



Pansies and Violas may of course be planted anywhere, 

 and nothing looks better than bold masses of these 

 flowers in various parts of the garden, and this aspect of 

 their use will be dealt with hereafter more fully. For 

 exhibition purposes, however, a more utilitarian, rather 

 than picturesque, method of growing is necessary when 

 the object is to produce the largest and finest flowers 

 possible. For this reason, it will be found advisable to 



