IV PLANTING 65 



or vegetable, probably mostly the latter, and as a rule 

 we may judge of the amount of humus in a soil by 

 its colour : the darker it is the more humus would 

 generally be present. .Thus, peat, leaf-mould, or 

 manure that has become mould, would be almost 

 entirely humus, and lacking in the mineral require- 

 ments of plants : while light-coloured sand, gravel, 

 chalk, or light-grey boulder clay would be almost 

 wholly mineral, and wanting in organic matter. In 

 such a soil, Boses might be grown well for a time, 

 but sooner or later the defect would be seriously felt, 

 and no liquid or artificial manure would atone for it. 



Now, the upper portion of most garden or pasture 

 soils has generally sufficient humus, afforded in the 

 one case by manure at different times, and in the 

 other by the gradual decay in course of years of the 

 roots and leaves of the plants of the pasture. But, 

 if light-coloured soil of any sort, or even loam taken 

 from anywhere more than a foot below the surface, 

 be imported, it will be too "raw," and well-rotted 

 manure in large quantities should be thoroughly 

 mixed with it. But it must be well rotted, for I am 

 strongly of opinion that a great many newly planted 

 Eoses fail to thrive because too fresh manure is 

 placed close to the roots. This error, and that of 

 planting too deeply, are the commonest faults in 

 planting Eoses. 



For these reasons I recommend strong rich dark 

 fresh soil in preference to the addition of sohd 

 manure, and that if any be used it be placed under- 

 neath, where it may be used before it has lost its 

 strength. 



It must be borne in mind that shallow planting is 

 of no use without cultivation, which is done by the 



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