FARMER S' MISCELLANY. 299 



substances which are constantly accumulating and undergoing de- 

 composition, upon or beneath the surface. These form a part of 

 all soils, and none will be productive which contains less than two 

 parts in a hundred of these matters ; and on the other hand, a soil 

 cannot be in a proper condition, to produce healthy plants, which 

 contains too much of them. Those soils which contain from three 

 to ten per cent of them, are the best. To those which arc defi- 

 cient, they may be added, in the form of the various manures 

 which are used. 



The soil for a flower garden is in no respect different from that 

 of the kitchen garden, and should be prepared in the same manner. 

 If the soil is too stiff and clayey, a few loads of sand may be added, 

 according to the size of the garden ; and if, on the contrary, it 

 contains too much sand already, a proper quantity of clay or good 

 stiff loam mixed with it, will soon bring it to a proper consistency. 



After these preliminaries have been properly attended to, the 

 ground should be spaded deep, and well pulverized ; this will 

 serve to make the earth open and light, so that the roots will meet 

 iwith no obstruction, and it will also allow the free circulation of 

 the air through it, which is very necessary for the health of plants. 

 The deeper it is worked, the deeper will the roots strike, and, of 

 course, the better will be the growth of the plant. This will also 

 serve to prevent, in a considerable degree, the effects of drought, 

 by giving a free chance for the water to rise from beneath. 



The texture of the soil is not a matter of small importance. It 

 should be such as will retain a proper quantity of water, and at 

 the same time will drain off that which is superfluous. It should 

 not contain so much clay as to bake in the sun and to crack open, 

 nor so much sand as to become parched and dry. The power of 

 retaining moisture depends upon the proportion of clay the soil 

 contains, as the water cannot, even by great heat, be entirely ex- 

 ipelled from this substance. But if there is too much, it will be- 

 come hard and crack, and the roots cannot penetrate it freely. 



Artificial soils are made for plants growing in pots, by a mix- 

 ture of different substances, in order to imitate, as nearly as pos- 

 sible, the natural soil in which they grow. This is the plan gene- 

 rally pursued by gardeners and florists ; but it is doubtful, in most 

 :ases, if any necessity requires it. If a loose soil from the gar- 

 len, with a little addition of sand be used, and well mixed with 



