SOJL. 



which lie upon dry fubilrata. In all foils which have wet 

 retentive bottoms, they are foon deftroyed. Tlie pear ftands 

 in need of a ftronger and more clayey foil than the above, 

 which has much greater depth, but which reils on the fame 

 forts of fubltrata. Similar forts of foil are alfo the moft 

 adapted to the growth of the cherry and the plum. And 

 the fmall fruit-trees, in fuch cafes, may be well grown in 

 any foil which is not of the ochrey or wet ftifl clayey kind. 

 See Small Fruits, and Standard Fniil-trees. 



Soils for the purpofe of ornamental gardening are not only 

 of great utility in growing and rearing the different plants 

 and trees which are neceflary for it, but have been employed 

 j in the way of contraft, and for relieving them. Formerly, 

 j much advantage was taken in this manner, by the introduc- 

 tion of different coloured earths or foils, but they have fince, 

 probably with juilice, been reprobated as too trifling and in- 

 tignificant by lord Bacon : the natural foil throughout is al- 

 ways, Mr. Loudon thinks, preferable ; and when tattefuUy 

 varied by the green of vegetation, will have a very harmo- 

 nious effeft in fuch cafes. 



The quality of the foil for the growth of moit forts of 

 ornamental plants and fhrubs, fhould, it is faid, be rather 

 poor ; for moft of thofe of the wild or botanical kind, va- 

 rious, though principally dry palture loam of a virgin na- 

 ture ; but for the ericas or heath forts, and mofl of the 

 American and Cape plants, as well as fome others, mofiy 

 or peaty, and rather moilt. 



The foil, in its different kinds, has much effeft in im- 

 proving, or breaking, as it is termed by the fforifts, fome 

 forts of fine flowering plants, as feveral of the bulbous- 

 rooted and more tender herbaceous kinds, fuch as tulips, 

 pinks, carnations, and many others. The common plants 

 of the latter defcription will, it is believed, grow in almoft 

 any fort of foil. 



The particular fort of foil in which molt of the mofs- 

 plants and fhrubs commonly grow to the belt advantage, is, 

 it is fuppofed, that of a fandy mois or peat of a moderate 

 degree of moifture. The foils for wild plants are almoft, it 

 is remarked, as various as their names, but, in common, 

 fuch as are mentioned below, will grow nioft of them when 

 cultivated in a garden : — dry virgin mountain earth or foil ; 

 molly earth or foil in a damp fituation ; half of each of the 

 above in a moift fituation ; half of each in a dry pofition ; 

 moilt clay and mofs or peat well blended ; dry gravel and 

 fand incorporated well together ; a clear fandy or gravelly 

 bottom foil, where there is a flight trickling of water ; a 

 muddy bottom foil, in a low ftagnant pond or other water ; 

 rock-work, differently conltruftcd, forms a foil for certain 

 plants, as fome moffes, ferns, and others of the fame fort ; 

 living full-grown trees, as well as fuch as are decayed, pro- 

 vide a foil for the growth of particular moffes and fungufcs ; 

 the foil of the fea-fhorc is proper for the growth of fea- 

 plants ; and the differently formed foils in heated houfes 

 and other places, are fuited to the growth of moit forts 

 ef exotic plants. The two firtl forts, with thofe of the 

 trickling and fea-fhorc kinds, will, however, it is fuppofed, 

 nearly ferve the purpofes of all the others, when properly 

 managed. 



For the purpofe of raifnig different forts of foreft-trees, 

 and forming ornamental plantations, great variety of foils is 

 nccellary ; fuch as thofe of the more light fandy and gravelly 

 kinds, which reft upon free, open, porous under foils or bot- 

 toms ; fandy and gravelly loams on the fame forts of bottoms ; 

 the fame and perfeftly loamy foils, on bottoms which are of a 

 more retentive or wet nature ; chalky or calcareous loams, and 

 gravelly mouldering chalks on open bottoms ; loamy clays and 

 clayey loams, on fimilar bottoms ; ftrong foils of both thcfc 

 Vol. XXXllI. 



forts on more retentive and moift under foils ; thin, peaty, 

 heathy, and moory foils, which lie on gravelly and other forts 

 of open dry bottoms ; and fimilar foils, reiling on more ItifT 

 and retentive fubftrata, or fuch as are of a moilter quality. 



Other variations in the nature of garden-foils may bkewife 

 be occafionally neceflary for particular purpofes, as well as 

 in thofe of grounds which are intended to be laid out and 

 ornamented. 



Soil, Night, in Agriculture, the excrementitious matter 

 which is taken from privies or other places in which it is de- 

 polited. Sir Humphrey Davy has remarked, that it is a well- 

 known very powerful manure, which is extremely liable to 

 decompofe. That it differs in compofition, but ccnflantly 

 abounds in fubftances conltituted of carbon, hydrogen, 

 azote, and oxygen. And that from the analyfis of Berze- 

 lius, it appears that a portion of it is always foluble in wa- 

 ter ; and in whatever ftate it is employed, whether recent or 

 fermented, it fupplies abundance of food to plants, either 

 as crops, or in other ways. 



It is fuggefted, that its difagreeable fmell may be correfted 

 and deftroyed by mixing quicklime with it ; and that, if ex- 

 pofed to the atmofphere in thin layers, ftrewed over with 

 quicklime in fine weather, it fpeedily becomes dry, is eafily 

 reduced into powder, and in this Itate may be made ufe of in 

 the fame way as rape-cake and other fimilar manures, being 

 delivered into the drill-furrows at the fame time with the 

 feed. 



The refufe of charcoal warehoufes, and the powdery 

 matter of that fubltance, might alio probably be intermixed 

 with the calcareous and excrementitious materials in the 

 above compofition with great advantage. 



It is ftated that the Chinefe, who have more prad'tical 

 knowledge of the ufe and application of manures than any 

 other people exilting, mix their foil of this fort with one- 

 third its weight of a fat marie, make it into cakes, and 

 dry it by expofure to the fun. Thcfe cakes, as has been 

 faid by the French mifTionaries, have no difagreeable fmell, 

 but form a common article of commerce in the empire. It 

 is fuppofed that the earth, by its abforbent properties, 

 probably prevents, to a certain extent, the aftion of moif- 

 ture upon the excrement, and likcwife defends it from the 

 effefts of the air. 



The Japanefe, and fome other of the eaflcrn nations, are 

 likewife very careful in preparing and preferving this fort of 

 manure ; and different methods of coUefting, increafing, and 

 fecuring it in this country have been noticed in fpeaking of 

 manure. See Manure. 



It is fuppofed by fome to have a great fupcriority over all 

 other forts of manure, even that of the rotten horfe-dung 

 kind, being coniidered nearly five times as valuable as 

 this laft fort. There is confequently believed to be a great 

 faving in the purchafe of this manure, by thofe who have 

 the carting of their dung feven or eight miles, as their teams 

 would bring as much of it in one, as would be equal to 

 what is ufually brought of the other by them in five days ; 

 that they would have as much as is equivalent in value for 

 one guinea, to what formerly colt them five. And though 

 the price of it may be on the incrcale, that lliould not, it is 

 thought, deter them from the purchafe of it, as the faving 

 in carriage i^, it is faid, amply fulhcient to repay every ad- 

 vance in the firfl colt of the material. 



Others, however, fuppofe that this fort of fubllancc in 

 manuring land will not go farther than three times that of 

 common dung, in giving fertility. It is ufually fold at y. 

 the load. It lias lately, in fome places, been the praflice 

 to mix and work up this fort of foil or excrement with 

 mould or other earthy matters in a regular manner, to con- 

 N n fiderabic 



