46 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



"always moist, but never leached," by the addition of 

 liquids from the house and kitchen. If this compost be for a 

 sandy soil, the addition of clay would be very beneficial. 



Special Manures. — The subject of special manures, 

 though still in its infancy having attracted great attention, 

 we have given under the head of all the most important 

 vegetables, their analyses and sometimes with hints for 

 special manuring the same. 



We know each species of animals requires peculiar kinds 

 of food in order fully to develop its powers, and that food 

 specially adapted to one species will not nourish and will 

 be refused by another. The dog or cat would starve on 

 food which would fatten the horse. So each species of 

 vegetable is equally select in its requirements for food. 

 Some plants will perish in soil specially adapted for the 

 growth of a different species. Every plant will not come 

 to perfection in a rich soil. More or less lime is necessary 

 for instance to most cultivated plants, yet the pine sorrel 

 and kalmia will not grow where much lime is present. 



Besides organic substances as already stated, all culti- 

 vated plants contain several or all of the following constitu- 

 ents : potash, soda, lime, magnesia, chlorine, sulphuric and 

 phosphoric acids, silex, &c., and for successful culture all 

 the inorganic materials of a plant must be found in the soil. 

 The amount of these substances found in the soil can be 

 pretty exactly determined by analysis, but sufficiently so 

 for all practical purposes by noticing its geological forma- 

 tion and the plants growing spontaneously upon it. Soil 

 analyses should be obtained only of the most accurate 

 chemists as there are many sources of error and the pro- 

 portion of some one or two materials required by plants 

 in the soil is so small that they may possibly exist in suf- 

 ficient quantity and yet escape detecti( n. The amount of 



