OF EARTH. 



69 



To give some other profitable instances of this nature : in transplant- 

 ing trees (beginning early, and when the earth is most tractable) endea- 

 vour to make your mould as connatural to that of the place, or nursery, 

 from whence you remove them, as you can. It is not, therefore, material^ 

 it should be so much richer ; but where imp-gardens are poor, the tender 

 plant, like a child starved at nurse, does seldom thrive wherever you set 

 it ; and, therefore, you should have fair and spreading roots, and well fed, 

 whatever some pretend. For other rarer shrubs and plants, the orange 

 (Herera tells us) thrives well with the ashes of burnt gourds and leaves, 

 and needs not change of mould, even in the case, above twice a-year, 

 and that towards the surface ; but the Amomum PUnii is a strange waster 

 of earth, and should continually be enriched and planted, as it were, all in 

 dung ; so the myrtle and pomegranate ; whilst the red rose, capers, sam- 

 phire, and other shrubs and plants, thrive better in gravel and rubbish. 

 Sage loves ashes, and purslain delights in dust and sweepings ; rue af- 

 fects the dry mould, lettuce the moister. Flowers, for the most part, de- 

 test the dung-hill, but, if they love any, it is that of sheep or cows, mixed 

 Avith loam and light earth. Tulips delight in change, and rather in poor 

 than rich mould, yea, sharp and hungry, to preserve their variegations. 

 But because it is sometimes troublesome to transplant them yearly, place 

 a layer of short stable-litter a foot beneath your mould, and they will 

 remain unremoved for some years without prejudice. The iris loves 

 the dry bed ; crocus, a mixed, rich, and light soil ; carnations desire a 

 loamy earth, qualified, if too stiff, with sea-sand and sheep-dung ; if 

 too poor, with richer mould ; so the peony, anemony, ranunculus, and 

 other flowers ; but then lay it at the bottom, such as you take from tlie 

 last year's hot-bed, giving it a surface of under-turf, which has been 

 foddered on, sweet, and aired. In this plant your roots, but so as not to 

 touch the artificial soil ; for all dunged earths canker the bulbs of 

 flowers, whilst their fibres reaching the heartier mould, draw from it with- 

 out danger. But if you would, indeed, be provided with excellent earth 

 to plant most flowers in, lay turf of pasture-ground in heaps for two win- 

 ters, till it be perfectly consumed ; this is also admirable for tuberous 

 roots ; and indeed all upland mould, whether sandy or loamy, may be made 

 perfectly good with the dung of oxen laid on the surface about Michael- 

 mas for one year, that it may wash kindly in ; then in September after, 

 pare this turf off as thin as you can, and for the first foot deep of earth, 

 you have bedding for bulbs and tuberous roots superior to any other. 



