326 General Notices. 



sooner by forming beds, the perpendicular part facing the north, the bed 

 sloping to the south, as I have practised myself, years ago, in a stiff soil? 

 and light, too ; and with the protection of glass over these beds, as recom- 

 mended in the Gardeners' Chronicle, for peaches, apricots, and nectarines, 

 the}^ might almost bid defiance to the foreign grower. With the assistance 

 of glass and the slopes together, they would certainly be equal to the gar- 

 dens round Paris. Without protection of glass we can prolong fruits and 

 vegetables out-of-doors, Avithout any loss, but what is most wanted is early 

 fruits and vegetables at a cheap rate, which can only be effected by some 

 cheap process such as has been recommended above. I am about to publish 

 a pamphlet, on 12 of the leading and most useful plants and vegetables. I 

 have proposed an entirely new plan of growing asparagus and seakale, and 

 if carried out properly, the million will partake of those most delicious veg- 

 etables which at present they never taste. — {Id., 1850, p. 356.) 



Materials essential for Potting Plants. — The following materi- 

 als are essential to the successful cultivation of plants in pots, and should 

 be kept always within reach of the potting bench, in a condition fit for im- 

 mediate use. It is this foresight which has rendered the course easy to 

 many a successful aspirant ; the want of it is, and has been, the ruin of half 

 the plants propagated in this country. The foundation of all cultivation de- 

 pends upon having loam, peat, sand, and decayed manure, at all times in 

 proper condition. Loam, to be in condition for potting, requires to be laid 

 up in a heap for at least 8 or 10 months, in order that its vegetable fibre may 

 be in a state of decomposition. The best of loams is that procured from very 

 old pastures or commons. The surface should be pared off not more than 2 

 inches in thickness. This should be of medium texture, neither too stiff nor 

 too much inclined to sand. Where convenience admits of having two kinds, 

 a heavier and a lighter soil will be found of great advantage in pot culture, 

 as they will tend to accommodate plants of different habits. Peat, suited 

 for plants, is difficult to obtain in some localities. Wimbledon Common 

 affords an abundant variety for selection. In choosing it, let it always be 

 procured from a dry rather than wet, boggy, spongy situation ; and, if it is 

 covered with fern or heath, it will be necessary to stack it for some time pre- 

 vious to its being used, in order that the coarse roots and heathy matter may 

 be easily broken up. This is a very essential and important item in the 

 compost, as it tends to keep it open, and it also assists in promoting good 

 drainage. Manure in a reduced state, perfectly sweet, should also always 

 be kept in store for general purposes ; stable dung, kept until it is quite 

 rotten, is perhaps as good as any thing. If possible to prevent it, it should 

 never be allowed to undergo violent fermentation. For some kinds of plants, 

 cow-dung, three or four years old, will prove very useful. Sand of a pure 

 white kind, is the most desirable ; the nearer it approaches pounded silica 

 the better. Few localities furnish this ; and hence large quantities are con- 

 tinually being sent from the neighborhood of London to plant cultivators in 

 the country. To attempt any thing beyond mediocrity, without being pos- 

 sessed of the above materials, will be found to be a waste of labor ; for, al- 



