Soils 



As soon as dry enough, the soil should be turned over and thoroughly 

 shaken out. The second or third day after the soil has been sterilized it 

 should again be turned over and thoroughly shaken, in order to break up any 

 lumps that may have been formed in the process of steaming. It should 

 then stand from one to two days, or until it contains only the proper degree of 

 moisture necessary for the plant to begin growth. The treatment after this 

 will be no different from that given to unsterilized soil. 



Thomas Hogg, in ending his treatise upon the carnation, pays tribute to 

 the necessity for good culture and rich, well-prepared soil, in the following : 



" Notice Extraordinary. 



"N.on Semper idem floribus est honos vernis. Horace. 



"To the ladies and gentlemen who take pleasure in the flower garden, this officious 

 intimation is hereby given, in the name and in the behalf of all the florists in Great 

 Britain: 



"That as much as the poor, sickly, half-starved, ragged, disconsolate man differs 

 from the same man when prosperous, well fed, well clothed, in health, cheerful and 

 at his ease, so much does the healthy, well-cultivated flower differ from the same flower 

 when neglected, and planted in barren and improper soil. In vain will the same man 

 exclaim, 'I am he, I am the man ;' no one will believe him, scarce anyone will know 

 him he is the world's scorn. 



"So it is often the case with a flower, when in the hands of a florist, and again 

 when in the care of some gentleman's or lady's bungling gardener the flower is no 

 longer acknowledged to be the same flower ; thus reproach is very often unmeritedly 

 incurred by the florist. 



"By way of recapitulation, then, be it added, that one-third fresh loam or maiden 

 earth, two-thirds frame dung, with one-sixth of the whole, dried road grit or sand, put 

 together in the autumn, and frequently turned in the winter, will form a compost in 

 which almost any plant will thrive in the spring and summer following; and whoever 

 manages to keep his plants in health, and in a vigorous state of growth, will never fail 

 to have a generous bloom. Valeteo." 



60 



