THE AURICULA. 125 



success. He always kept by him a quantity of 

 sound staple loam, of rather a sandy nature ; this 

 he sweetened by frequent turning. His next prin- 

 cipal ingredient, was sheep-dung and hay litter, well 

 rotted,, by being turned, mixed, and fermented in 

 the same manner as the gardener does horse-dung 

 and straw litter. This he never made use of under 

 twelve or eighteen months, when it had the appear- 

 ance of leaf or fine vegetable mould ; sometimes 

 he put to it a small portion of cow-dung, but this 

 very seldom ; a little clean coarse sand was generally 

 added. These formed his compost for growing them 

 in : but he had another of a richer quality, if I may 

 so term it, with which he used to top-dress his plants, 

 and this he would do sometimes twice in the year. 

 When they killed any sheep, he always reserved 

 the blood, and mixed it with the dung of poultry. 

 These two ingredients he added to his loam and 

 sheep-dung, and these constituted his compost for 

 surface- dressing. 



In fresh potting every year he trimmed and 

 shortened the fibres, and reduced the roots with the 



