60 THE amateur's gkeeithottse 



matters, an expert plant-grower and a winner of first prizes. 

 Sometimes loam and peat are mixed, and we must confess that 

 we ourselves mix them ; but the mixing can scarcely be con- 

 sidered good practice, for one being decidedly acid and the 

 other decidedly alkaline, they do not quite agree when chopped 

 up together. As a matter of fact, however, it must be con- 

 fessed that the best plant-growers employ both loam and peat 

 in composts, and see no reason to doubt the propriety of the 

 procedure. 



It will be found in practice that young plants of all kinds 

 and plants of soft texture, whether young or old, thrive best 

 in a light soil containing a rather large proportion of sand, 

 whereas plants that are advanced beyond the stage of infancy, 

 and all plants of woody texture, of whatever age, require a firmer 

 compost. Hence, in potting a lot of little things, that have 

 just begun to put forth roots, sand and leaf mould may be 

 added to the compost ; or in shifting on robust habited plants 

 that have acquired a place in the world, it may be well to add 

 loam or peat, as the case may be, just as in feeding a baby soft 

 food is alone suitable, whereas a " lubberly boy" will want 

 cartloads of bread and meat and pudding. 



It is a bad practice as a rule to sift composts, for they 

 should always be rather lumpy, and the finest part should be 

 reserved for filling in at the top of the pot. But sifting may 

 be proper in preparing a mixture for seedlings and cuttings, 

 and the finer the compost the larger should be the proportion 

 of sand in it, to prevent its becoming an obnoxious paste. 

 There ought not to be a single worm in any mixture for pot 

 plants. Large stones must, of course, be removed. Any bits 

 of decayed wood which occur in the leaf mould should be 

 thrown out. A mixture ready for use should be quite damp, 

 yet dry enough to be handled freely without soiling the fingers. 

 If it is wet and sticky it is not fit for use. 



A capital basis for the universal compost may be prepared 

 in the following manner : — Procure equal quantities of the top 

 spit of a good loamy pasture and of good stable manure from 

 well-fed horses. As they are carted into the yard have them 

 built up into a tall square stack in alternate layers, a layer of 

 turf, and a layer of manure, and leave the stack untouched for 

 twelve months. Then cut from the stack by slicing down- 

 wards from the top as wanted, and take the mixture as the 

 basis of a loam compost, adding sand and leaf mould to lighten 



