STIRRING THE SOIL. 



279 



STRAWBERRY BLUE. 



shrubs and low trees from the East 

 and West Indies, "with greenish or 

 whitish flowers. They should begrown 

 in peat and loam ; and they are pro- 

 pagated by cuttings of the ripe wood, 

 not deprived of their leaves, ■which 

 should be struck in sand, under a bell- 

 glass, with bottom-heat. 



Sternbe'rgia. — Amaryllidacece." 

 Hardy bulbs, with showy yellow 

 flowers ; which only need planting in 

 the open border. 



SteVia. — Composites, — Mexican 

 perennials with tufts of very pretty 

 white or pinkish flowers, which should 

 be grown in sandy peat, and which re- 

 quire a little protection during winter. 

 S. Eupatorium is a very pretty plant 

 for filling a bed in a geometric flower- 

 garden, from its compact habit of 

 growth, and the abundance of its 

 flowers. 



Stirring the soil is an operation 

 of considerable importance in the case 

 of all plants in a high state of culture, 

 and especially of young plants. When 

 soil is loosened to the depth of even 

 two or three inches, it admits the air 

 and the rain beneath the surface ; 

 and both, ! in this manner, convey their 

 temperature to the soil, as well as 

 their nutritive qualities to the roots. 

 It is also remarkable that though 

 soil when loosened is advantageous 

 in communicating a warmer tempera- 

 ture and moisture to what is below 

 by admitting the air and the rain ; 

 yet that in the heat of summer, plants 

 growing in a soil the surface of which 

 is kept loose, suffer less either from 

 excess in heat or the want of rain, 

 than plants in a soil which is kept 

 firm. This will also apply to a cer- 

 tain extent to plants in pots, though 

 stirring the soil is of far less im- 

 portance to them than to plants in 

 the open ground ; as the heat of the 

 surrounding atmosphere, whether it 

 be advantageous or injurious, pene- 

 trates readily through the sides of the 



pots, and the superfluous moisture 

 is exhaled in the same manner. In 

 stirring the soil among plants in the 

 open ground, it must, however, be 

 always remembered that the soil is 

 full of roots, and therefore that the 

 stirring must not be carried to more 

 than a few inches in depth. It should 

 also be performed with a fork rather 

 than with a spade, in order that none 

 of the roots may be cut. The soil 

 should never be stirred, except when 

 it is in a dry state, and when rain is 

 not expected ; because should the soil 

 be in a wet state when it is moved, or 

 should rain occur immediately after- 

 wards, it will defeat the end in view; 

 viz. that of forming a porous surface 

 layer, readily permeable by air and 

 water. 



Stitchwort. — See Stellaria. 



Stock. — See Mathiola. 



Stove-crop. — See Sedum. 



Storax. — See Styrax. 



Stork's Bill. — See Geranium. 



Stramonium. — Solanacece. — The 

 Thorn Apple. Large showy plants, 

 conspicuous alike for their leaves, 

 flowers, and fruit. They grow best 

 in chalk or a calcareous loam ; and 

 they are so completely hardy in 

 Britain, and grow so freely from seed, 

 that the common kind has become 

 naturalised, and is frequently found 

 growing wild. When these plants 

 are grown in gardens, they should be 

 allowed plenty of room, as their 

 principal beauty is the wide-spread- 

 ing and luxuriant character of their 

 foliage. 



Stranvasia. — Rosacea. — The 

 new name for Cratcegus glauca, an 

 evergreen tree, a native of Nepal, 

 with glaucous leaves, woolly beneath, 

 and white flowers. It appears to be 

 hardy, or very nearly so, and it is 

 very handsome. It is generally pro- 

 pagated by grafting on the common 

 Hawthorn. 



Strawberry BLiTE.-See Blitum 



