ASPECT AND SOIL. 23 



portance than aspect or location ; and whether it is the 

 man of wealth, looking for a site upon which to build, 

 and surround his home with a flowery landscape, or the 

 working gardener about to become florist, and venturing 

 his hard earnings in a first essay in business, let him first 

 be certain that old " Mother Earth," in the spot about to 

 be chosen, is in such condition as will reward his labors 

 with success. Soils are so varied that it is difficult indeed 

 to convey to the inexperienced by description what the 

 proper character should be. To say to the uninitiated, 

 that the best soil for all garden purposes is a sandy loam, 

 not less than ten inches deep, conveys very little infor- 

 mation, unless he is first made to understand what a 

 sandy loam is. The subsoil, or stratum of earth imme- 

 diately underlying the top soil, or loam, usually deter- 

 mines the quality of the soil. If it be gravelly, or sandy, 

 then the top soil will almost invariably be a sandy loam ; 

 but if the subsoil is of putty-like clay, then the top soil 

 will usually be of the same nature, and be what is known 

 as clayey loam. One great advantage usually in soils 

 having a gravelly or sandy subsoil is, that the water passes 

 off freely, rendering the expensive operation of draining 

 unnecessary, while in all soils with clayey subsoil, dram- 

 ing must be done, and thoroughly, or failure will cer- 

 tainly be the result. Those most to be avoided are what 

 are known as " thin soils ;" these may be either of sand, 

 gravel, or clay, being in many places little more than 

 "subsoil," without its stratum of loam. No process of 

 manuring or cultivation can ever bring such soils into a 

 condition to compete with those naturally good ; for be 

 it remembered that manures answer only a temporary 

 purpose, and exert no permanent change in soil. Our 

 richest market gardens, when left untilled, relapse into 

 their normal state in three years. Thus it is in many 

 parts of the Southern States, that plantations are said to 

 be "worn out" in a few years, while in fact it is simply the 



