72 



THE HEATHERY. 



liable to perish from cold and excess of humidity. Lines of cord should 

 be stretched along the plant ground, and fastened to neat poles or stakes ; 

 to these cords the plants should be individually fixed, to prevent their 

 being blov^n down. 



From the end of September till the beginning of November is the proper 

 season for removing plants again into the house, and a somewhat similar 

 system should be acted upon as recommended for taking them out ; only, 

 those last taken out should be first taken into the house, and the next in 

 .rotation. During summer, water should be copiously supplied, not only 

 at their roots, but occasionally over their leaves and branches, by using 

 the syringe or garden engine. But this must only be understood to apply 

 to very hot and dry weather. Heaths, and all plants grown in peat 

 earth, should never be allowed to become very dry at the root ; for, from 

 the nature of the soil, it is difficult to supply a sufficient degree of moisture 

 to them after they have become very dry. 



SOIL. 



There is no subject in gardening more difficult to give written directions 

 upon, than that of soils, so little, unfortunately, have they been chemically 

 studied, and so vague and unintelligible are the tests by which they are 

 practically known. The soil which the Ericece and many other fine- 

 rooted plants prefer, is called peat, bog mould, heath mould, moor earth, 

 &c., and abounds in sufficient quantities in many places, paiticularly in 

 uncultivated heaths. But of this soil there are both good and bad sorts, 

 that is, sorts in which plants mil grow to perfection, and others in 

 which they languish and decay. Nor is it to be taken for granted that 

 that peat which produces the finest and healthiest crops of our common 

 heaths, such as Erica TetralioCj and cinerea, is always a fitting soil to 

 be used for exotic plants of similar habits ; for many, by contenting them- 

 selves vdth this test, have found out their error, when too late to remedy it. 

 That peat is best which contains about one fourth or one fifth of coarse 

 white sand, and is taken fi'om a diy heathy common, which is never over- 

 flowed with water, and off a sub-soil in which the recently discovered 

 chemical substance, creasote^ which has deleterious effects upon aU. 

 vegetables, does not abound. It might be well for the cultivator to have 

 a chemical analysis made of his soil, by which the presence or absence 

 of creasote would be determined, and which any respectable chemist 

 would discover for him. When abundance of sand does not naturally 

 abound in the peat, any coarse white sand, free of irony matter, may be 

 added. It appears to be of httle consequence whether or not good peat 



