50 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



in the selection of the proper soil, and in its preparation. 

 There is no better material to form the main part of the 

 compost than the top spit of an old pasture, where the 

 soil is a rich loam inclined to heaviness. Such loam 

 should be stacked for a few months before it is used. It 

 should be broken up by the hand and passed through a 

 i -inch sieve. To mix with this staple, some leaf-mould, 

 formed of decayed oak leaves, is desirable, and sufficient 

 sand should be used to make it an easily handled compost. 

 The leaf -mould, like the loam, should be passed through 

 a sieve. A little soot, and a sufficient quantity of Thom- 

 son's vine and plant manure to fill a 5-inch pot, if added 

 to each bushel of the compost, have stimulating effects, 

 which should not be overlooked. The most suitable pots 

 are those known as 6o's, which have a diameter of 3 inches. 

 If they are quite new, they will require immersion for one 

 hour in clear water ; and if they are not new, they must 

 be washed perfectly clean in either case allowing them 

 to become quite dry before use. Not much drainage is 

 required at this potting, as the plants will soon need 

 moving into pots of a larger size. A few pieces of broken 

 charcoal, with a thin layer of moss placed over them, 

 forms a very safe and effective means of drainage for the 

 small pots. In lifting the layers from their rooting quar- 

 ters, every care should be taken to preserve the roots from 

 getting broken, and the root-mass should be so trimmed 

 as to prevent any difficulty in placing the layer in the pot. 

 A small quantity of the rougher portions of the prepared 

 soil should be placed over the moss, and firmly pressed with 

 the hand ; then place the young plant in position, making 

 it about half an inch lower in the soil of the pot than it 



