By Mr. Thomas Hogg. 



453 



from the sun and rain, thereby preserving their colours from 

 being soon faded and tarnished. 



If there has been much frost during the winter, and the 

 earth is consequently rendered light and loose when it thaws, 

 the roots, by such extension of the ground, will sometimes 

 be raised almost out of it : in that case it will be necessary, 

 any lime about the beginning of April, to tread the mould 

 down lightly with the foot, or at least to compress it firmly 

 round the plants with the hand. 



A Pink bed will continue, and flower very well, for two 

 years in succession, though most Florists renew their plants 

 every year by piping the grass, in order to have them young, 

 healthy, and vigorous, and if they are confined to the same 

 plot of ground, they take care to add a little fresh loam, and 

 rotten dung to it, every time they make up a fresh bed. 



In preparing compost for the Dianthus tribe of plants, par- 

 ticularly for those which I flower in pots, I always bear in 

 mind what Virgil says in his second Georgic about soil : 



" Pinguis item quae sit tellus, hoc denique pacto 

 " Discimus; haud unquam raanibus jactata fatiscit, 

 " Sed picis in morem ad digitos lentescit habendo." 



Columella and Pliny also, in their works on Agriculture, 

 have given directions for the selection of good soil, which 

 cannot be amended at the present day : the following are 

 some of the tests whereby they distinguish it. " That it is 

 of a blackish colour : glutinous when wet, and easily crum- 

 bled when dry ; has an agreeable smell ; imbibes water, re- 

 tains a proper quantity, and discharges a superfluity &c. 

 Gardeners who cannot meet with such soil ought to use artifi- 

 cial means to form it, by bringing together different kinds : 



