10 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



that the best soil for all garden purposes is a sandy loam, 

 not less than 10 inches deep, conveys very little informa- 

 tion, unless he is first made to understand what a sandy 

 loam is. The subsoil, or stratum of earth immediately 

 underlying the top soil, or loam, usually determines th 

 quality of the soil. If it be gravelly, or sandy, then the 

 top soil will almost invariably be a sandy loam ; but if the 

 subsoil is of putty-like clay, then the top soil will usually 

 be of the same nature, and be what is known as clayey 

 loam. One great advantage usually in soils having a 

 gravelly or sandy subsoil is, that the water passes off free- 

 ly, rendering the expensive operation of draining unneces- 

 sary, while in all soils with clayey subsoil, draining must 

 be done, and thoroughly, or failure will certainly be the 

 result. Those most to be avoided are what are known as 

 " thin soils ;" these may be either of sand, gravel, or clay, 

 being in many places little more than " subsoil," without 

 its stratum of loam. No process of manuring or cultiva- 

 tion can ever bring such soils into a condition to compete 

 with those naturally good ; for be it remembered that 

 manures answer only a temporary purpose, and exert no 

 permanent change in soil. Our richest market gardens, 

 when left untilled, relapse into their normal state in three 

 years. Thus it is in many parts of the Southern States, 

 that plantations are said to be " worn out" in a few years, 

 while in fact it is simply the supply of food to the plants 

 that has been exhausted, the organic matter formed by 

 decaying leaves or sods having been expended by the 

 crops. 



Supply this want by fertilizers, and you again have the 

 land in its primitive fertile condition ; but this must be 

 continued, or the crops will again sho\v indications of the 

 soil being " worn out," but quicker, of course, on a thin 

 soil than on a deep one. Hence the importance of select- 

 ing, when a choice can be had, a deep soil, with a subsoil 

 of sand or gravel. 



