162 CHRYSANTHEMUMS [CH. 



other. The soil, in fact, should contain in itself suitable 

 food, but in addition it should also be looked upon as a 

 sort of store for the stimulants which must be administered 

 from time to time, but not until the stems and roots 

 have far advanced towards maturity, the store itself all 

 the while remaining sweet and well-drained. The plants 

 greatly resent overmuch moisture, and the compost must 

 be so contrived that while abundance of stimulants shall be 

 supplied, the water may always percolate freely, and the 

 pot never become water-logged. Bearing this in mind, I 

 should advise a compost of this sort: Three parts of 

 fibrous sod broken into pieces as large as walnuts, the fine 

 soil being taken out ; one part stable manure without the 

 straw ; one of half decayed leaves ; one of coarse silver sand ; 

 one of bone manure, charcoal, and wood ashes (from the 

 stems of last year's plants) in equal parts ; all these latter 

 well mixed first, and afterwards mingled with the broken 

 sod. 



When being finally potted the plants should be very 

 firmly fixed, and the soil rammed into the pot with a blunt 

 stick ; the growth will not be so rapid, but the plant will 

 mature all the better. There should be more than an inch 

 drainage covered with a piece of thin sod or the rougher 

 part of the compost ; over the drainage some soot may be 

 thrown ; it at first baffles the worms and afterwards helps 

 to nourish the roots. At the top an inch and a half space 

 should be left for water and top-dressing later on. It is well 

 to place the row of plants standing on slates or boards on the 

 side of a path running north and south, and in dry weather 



