SOI 



SOL 



crops on light- colourful tenacious soils 

 are in general so much more backward j 

 in spring, but are retained longer in 

 verdure, during autumn, than those on 

 black light soils. The latter attain a i 

 genial warmth the more readily, but \ 

 part from it with equal speed. 



The quantity of soluble matter ob- ! 

 tainable from a soil, at any one time, is ! 

 very small, seldom exceeding a one- j 

 thousandth part of its weight; and i 

 even pure vegetable mould, the debris 

 of entirely putrefied plants, was found 

 by Saussure to yield only one-eleventh ! 

 of soluble matter. This mould was too j 

 rich for horticultural purposes, peas j 

 and beans grown in it being too luxu- 

 riant ; and they were more productive ; 

 in a soil containing only one-twentieth 

 of organic constituents dissolvable by 

 water. Small in amount, however, as is 

 the soluble constituents of the most 

 fertile soils, they are necessary for the 

 vigorous vegetation of plants ; for when 

 a soil is deprived of those constituents 

 by frequent washings with boiling water, 

 it is much less fertile than before. 

 Liebig and others have most illogically 

 concluded, from the smallness of the 

 soluble extract contained in a soil, that 

 it is of small importance, forgetting 

 that as fast as it is taken by the roots 

 of the crop, it is generated again by 

 the decomposition of the animal and 

 vegetable remains. This is one reason 

 why fallowing is beneficial ; easily de- 

 composing matters have been exhausted 

 by successive crops ; and by a year's 

 rest, and exposure to the putrefactive 

 agency of the air, the more stubborn 

 and more slowly decomposing matters 

 have time to decay and accumulate in 

 the soil. 



SOILIXG-UP. See Basining-up and 

 Earthiny-up. 



SO'JA. (From sooja, the name of a 

 sauce made from the seeds in Japan. 

 Nat.ord.,J>/7MnM'n0Ms Plants [Fabacese]. 

 Linn., \l-I)ladelphia ^-Deccindrla, Al- 

 lied to Dolichos.) 



Climbing annual. Seeds in May, in the open 

 border, or in a slight hotbed in April, and 

 transplanted. 



S.hi'spida (bristly). 3. Violet. July. E. 

 Indies. 1790. 



SOIA'NDBA. (Named after Dr. 80- 



lander, a Swedish botanist. Nat. ord., 



Nit/htshades [Solanacese]. Linn., 5- 



Pentan dria 1 -Man of/i/n la . ) 



Stove evergreen shrubs. Cuttings from 



flowering shoots in open sandy loam, and in ti 



brisk bottom heat ; sandy loam, a little fibry 



peat, and dried nodules of old cow dung. 



Winter temp., 50 to 60, and almost dry; 



summer, 60 to 90, and plenty of moisture 



when growing. 



S. grandiflo'ra (large-flowered). 15. Pale 

 yellow. May. Jamaica. 1781. Climber. 



-~ gutta'ta (spotted-flowered). 12. Pale yel- 

 low. Mexico. 1830. 



Ice' vis (smooth-leaved). 2. White. October. 



ni'tida (shining). 20. Yellowish-white. 



E. Indies. 1820. 



oppositifo'lia (opposite-leaved). 10. White. 



Ceylon. 1820. 



viridiflo'ra (green-flowered). 3. Green. S. 



America. 1815. 



SOLA 'NUM. Nightshade. (From soZor, 

 to comfort; soothing narcotic effect. 

 Nat. ord., Nightshades [Solanacese], 

 Linn., o-Pentandria \-Monogynia.} 



All freely by seeds. Annuals, hardy, seeds 

 in the open air ; tender, in a hotbed, and trans- 

 planted in June ; herbaceous, by similar means, 

 and division; shrubby, by similar modes and 

 cuttings, under a bell-glass, and requiring the 

 protection of a house and temperature, in pro- 

 portion to the place of which they are natives. 

 See Potato. 



HARDY ANNUALS. 



S. JEthio'picum (Ethiopian). l. White. Au- 

 gust. JEthiopia. 1597. 



Fontanesia'num (Fontaine's). Yellow. Au- 



gust. Brazil. 1813. 



hetera'ndrum (various-stamened). Yellow. 



July. Missouri. 1837. 



heterodo'xum (heterodox). Blue. July. 



Mexico. 1820. 



-.?ii'gnm(black-6rried). 3. White. July. 

 Britain. 



melanoce'rasum (black-cherry). 2. 



White. July. Virginia. 1820. 



obtusifo'lium (blunt-leaved). August. 1831. 



rostra 1 turn (beaked). Yellow. July. Mexico. 



1823. 



HAEDY HERBACEOUS. 

 S. cardiophy'llum (heart-leaved), 1. Cream. 

 June. Mexico. 1846. Tuberous. 



crt'spum (curled). 18. Blue. June. Chili. 



1824. Evergreen. 



demi'ssum (humble). 1$. June. Mexico. 



1846. Tuberous. 



etubero'sum (tuberless). 2. Purple. June. 



Chili. 1833. 



tubero'sum (tuberous. Potato'). 2. White. 



July. Peru. 1597- 



GREENHOUSE ANNUALS. 

 S.fusca'tum (dusky). lj. Scarlet. June. 

 South America. 1817- 



melonge'na (E^g Plant}. Violet. June. 



East Indies. 1597- 



ovi'gerum (egg-bearing). 2. Blue, 



June. Africa. 15D7. 



