74 



legs, so that the plants may be readily turned round to 

 the light, or wheeled into the middle of the room at night, 

 when the weather is severe. 



COMPOST FOR PLANTS. 



The most important requisite, for the successful cultiva- 

 tion of plants, is to have a stock of suitable compost for 

 the various kinds. A plant in unsuitable mould cannot be 

 healthy. The following materials should be obtained : 



1. Good garden mould. 



2. Mould from decayed turf, from a pasture or field. 



3. Mould from decayed leaves. 



4. Decomposed stable, or cow-yard manure. 



5. Sea or river sand, free from salt. 



6. Peat, from the meadows, that has been exposed to 



frost. 



7. Coarse sand or gravel. 



8. Broken flower-pots, charcoal, or oyster-shells. 



9. Old mortar or plastering. 



Garden mould will not be needed if there is a supply 

 of fine decayed turf mould, and will be wanted only in 

 case of necessity. Turf mould, for a basis, is probably 

 the best ingredient for a compost for plants. The broken 

 pots, charcoal, etc., are used for drainage, to be placed in 

 the bottom of the pot at the time of potting. About 

 one-fifth of the depth of the pot may be filled with the 

 broken up drainage materials. A little meadow moss 

 over this will prevent the mould from washing down. 



Leaf mould is not always to be obtained ; but it is a pre- 

 cious ingredient in a compost, and many plants thrive 

 much better in it than in anything else. It takes a long 

 time to decompose leaves so as to be suitable for compost. 



To have compost in perfection, the different ingredients 

 should be mixed in advance of the time when they are 

 wanted. They should be thoroughly mixed together, .and 



