GROUND FOR A GARDEN.' 143 



it at once, and waste no time in fighting against 

 Nature. When a loamy piece of land or a muck 

 swamp can be drained, they make the finest gar- 

 den land existing, and the happy, enterprising 

 owner can be congratulated upon almost certain 

 success ; for thorough drainage on one hand 

 avoids the danger of excessive moisture, and 

 the nature of his soil, on the other, enables him 

 to defy drouth. 



But if the reader possesses or purchases a- 

 loamy soil, that is, a natural mixture of sand 

 and clay, in such proportions that it turns up 

 mellow and friable instead of being sticky and 

 full of stumps, and this is underlaid by a yellow 

 loam subsoil which permits a natural drainage, 

 he may rest satisfied, and commence operations 

 with the first conditions of success in his favor. 

 Foi here is land of such consistency and com- 

 pactness that it can be thoroughly and per- 

 manently enriched. It is what is termed a 



