BRITISH MODES OF CULTIVATING 



six inches lower than that of the fruiting-house ; 

 and the roof of the nursing-pit may be a foot lower 

 than that of the fruiting-house. 



Soil. The soil recommended is nearly the same 

 as that used by Nicol. It consists of: " 1. Ve- 

 getable mould; 2. The top-spit earth from an 

 upland pasture, loamy, friable, and well reduced ; 

 3. Hard-fed dung, rotted and mellowed by at least 

 a year's preparation ; 4. Small, pearly river-gravel ; 

 5. White sea-sand ; 6. Shell-marl. 



" If no vegetable mould has been provided, light 

 rich earth, from a fallowed part of the kitchen gar- 

 den, may be substituted : there is no difference of 

 any account between one and the other, further 

 than this : The vegetable mould is sure to be virgin 

 earth, from which no aliment has been extracted ; the 

 mould from the kitchen garden, however you may 

 trench, and rest, and enrich it, cannot but contain 

 many particles which have given out their fertilizing 

 qualities to previous crops. Dung perfectly decom- 

 posed comes to the same thing as vegetable mould ; 

 therefore that one of them which is most attainable, 

 or best prepared, may fitly serve instead of the 

 other. 



" Of the first three take equal quantities; making 

 three-fourths of the intended compost. Constitute 

 the remaining fourth thus : Let river-gravel^ sea- 

 sand, and shell-marl, furnish each a twelfth part. The 

 small gravel is to afford something for the roots to 

 lay hold of; the sea-sand, to promote lightness and^ 

 dryness; the shell-marl, the better to support the 



