THE SOIL 69 



half fill the pot with crocks, but also mi* a few small ones 

 with the compost. All this is to show that the crocking of a 

 pot is somewhat important and should be done correctly. The 

 health of the plant depends very largely upon the drainage 

 provided, for it keeps the roots warm and healthy and the soil 

 sweet and wholesome. Simple though the matter is it is based 

 strictly on science, and if we fail to look upon it as such, we are 

 apt to miss its full significance. 



THE SOIL. 



Having now agreed about the pots we will pass on to consider 

 the soil, and obviously we have here a very potent factor. 

 Composts vary according to the needs of the plants for which 

 they are intended, and their preparation is decided by the 

 responsible man on the spot. Though we are therefore unable 

 to lay down any specific rules concerning the constituents of 

 a compost, we can, with some advantage, make a few remarks 

 concerning the basic soils from which they are made up. 



Throughout previous chapters we have many times referred 

 to them when advising on soils, but it may be well now that we 

 are dealing with the subject specifically to classify them. 



They are : 



1. Peat. 



2. Loam. 



3. Leaf Mould. 



4. Rotted Manure. 



5. Sand. 



Of these Peat is the only one which for certain plants may 

 be considered a complete soil. There are certain bog plants 

 needing no other admixture, and Rhododendrons and Azaleas 

 and a few stove plants. There are varying qualities in Peat 

 owing, we opine, to differences in age. A really good black peat 

 with but a small admixture of silica in it, full of fibre, is the 

 peat we prefer and which we have in mind whenever we allude 

 to it. 



Loam is the most potent of all our soils, though too heavy of 

 itself for using in pots. As with peat, so with loam it may be 

 had in varying qualities. What we call " top-spit " from an 

 old pasture is the ideal, and it is full of the fibrous roots of the 



