PLANTS FOB WINDOW GARDENING. 129 



enemy. Before being used, the soil should be passed 

 through a coarse sieve or screen, and the fibre rubbed 

 through with the soil. The soil in which the plants are 

 bloomed, and that in which they are kept in small pots 

 through the winter, should be different, for in the latter they 

 are not required to make much progress, and the less they 

 are excited in autumn and winter the better, provided they 

 make steady progress and .preserve their health. This can 

 only be secured by abstaining from the use of stable dung, 

 using pure loam, and such decayed vegetable matter as is 

 afforded by the grass naturally growing in loam when the 

 turves are cut. Neither should the loam be too adhesive, 

 but sufficiently porous to allow the water to percolate 

 freely ; should it not be so naturally, a little sand may be 

 used to lighten it. In preparing the soil for blooming the 

 plants, take of this loam three parts, well decomposed leaf 

 mould one part, thoroughly rotted cow dung one part (if 

 this cannot be obtained, hot-bed manure, well decomposed, 

 in fact, reduced to a fine, black mould, may be substituted), 

 and of sandy peat, one part. A small portion of old lime 

 rubbish, slightly sifted, will be of service to the plant, 

 mixed among the compost. Being duly mixed, in sufficient 

 quantity, let it be brought under shelter to dry some time 

 before the potting season. 



