THE FACTORS IN DETAIL IJ 



gentle slope, all things considered, is the best, 

 as such a soil is drained naturally. If topped 

 with good loam, with not too liberal an ad- 

 mixture of stones, it is an ideal one for the 

 gardener. 



A coarse gravel subsoil is not objectionable, 

 provided the surface soil has sufficient depth 

 to admit of proper tillage. It is not unusual, 

 however, to find gravel overlaid with the 

 merest film of loam, in which case the land 

 would be unsuitable for general gardening 

 purposes, unless the purchaser were prepared 

 to spend money in importing material for his 

 flower beds and borders. 



Soils overlying rocky formations must be 

 judged by their quality and depth. When 

 the surface soil is shallow, and the rock imper- 

 vious to water, they suffer from the same dis- 

 abilities as stiff clay land. 



The presence of stones in the surface soil, 

 generally associated with a gravelly subsoil, 

 but not uncommonly with stony clays, is no 

 great detriment; but if they are in sufficient 

 quantity to hamper the gardener he would 

 have to resort to picking or screening to reduce 

 their number. On sloping ground the stones 



