38 PREPARATION OF SOIL, 



then be filled in, provided it does not more than half fill the 

 bed ; and the bed should then be filled up, some four inches 

 above the former level, with prepared soil, of equal parts 

 of loam, or leaf-mould, clean sand, and well-rotted cow- 

 manure, or old hot-bed. A few days should be allowed 

 before planting, that the soil may settle. It is always well 

 to have the surface of the bed an inch or more above the 

 surrounding soil ; and the surface should slope gently from 

 the centre to the sides, or from the rear to the front. 



A most excellent compost for bulbs, especially for ranun- 

 culus and anemones, is made by taking the turfs of an 

 old pasture, making a heap of them, and letting them rot 

 for two or three years, turning them occasionally to pick 

 out any insects or hard foreign bodies. 



The sand used should be clean and fine, or, as gardeners 

 say, " sharp ; " free fom all stones or earthy matter, and 

 fresh. If sea-sand is used, it should be well washed, to 

 take out the salt : there are but very few bulbs that flourish 

 in a soil containing salt. 



POTTING. 



In planting bulbs in pots, the same primary rules of 

 drainage should be observed. This is effected by filling the 



