CULTIVATION OF ALPINE PLANTS 59 



the better for it. The best form in which it can be 

 given to them by those whose rockwork does not 

 consist of limestone is mortar rubble; and a mixture 

 of one part mortar rubble, both grit and lumps, with 

 one part leaf mould or other thoroughly decayed 

 vegetable matter, and one part fibrous loam will suit 

 the great majority of Alpine plants thoroughly. In 

 the case of those which dislike lime, lumps and grit 

 of sandstone should be substituted for the mortar 

 rubble. Speaking generally, one may say that the 

 more difficult an Alpine plant is to grow the poorer 

 should be the soil in which it is planted. But such 

 plants, if planted in fine sand, would suffer much 

 from drought. They need a soil consisting more than 

 half of small lumps of rubble or rock, the rest being 

 mainly grit, with a very little leaf mould. The spe- 

 cially prepared soil should not be less than a foot, or, 

 in the case of deep-rooting plants, two feet deep, 

 and little pieces of rock or rubble should be placed 

 here and there on the surface. All these precautions 

 sound very elaborate and troublesome; but the gar- 

 dener who has learned to take a delight in Alpine 

 plants delights also in taking pains with them. Al- 

 pine gardening is a game, and all good games are 

 difficult to excel in. 



