118 
THE ELOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 
one peck of silver sand. This -will suit for the remaining tenth ; 
and, upon my word, if you never deviate from these prescriptions, 
you may become, by proper attention to other matters, an expert 
plant-grower and a winner of first prizes. Sometimes loam and peat 
are mixed, and we must confess that we ourselves mix them ; but 
the mixing can scarcely be considered good practice, for one being 
decidedly acid and the other decidedly alkaline, they do not quite agree 
when chopped up together. As a matter of fact, however, it must 
he confessed that the best plant-growers employ both loam and peat 
in composts, and see no reason to doubt the propriety of the pro- 
cedure. 
It will be found in practice that young plants of all kinds and 
plants of soft texture, whether young or old, thrive best in a light 
soil containing a rather large proportion of sand, whereas plants 
that are advanced beyond the stage of infancy, and all plants of 
woody texture, of whatever age, require a firmer compost. Hence, 
in potting a lot of little things that have just begun to put forth 
roots, sand and leaf-mould may be added to the compost ; or in 
shifting on robust habited plants that have acquired a place in the 
world, it may be well to add loam or peat, as the case may be, just as 
in feeding a baby soft food is alone suitable, whereas a “ lubberly 
boy ” will want cartloads of bread and meat and pudding. 
It is a bad practice as a rule to sift composts, for they should 
always be rather lumpy, and the finest part should be reserved 
for filling in at the top of the pot. But sifting may be proper 
in preparing a mixture for seedlings and cuttings, and the finer 
the compost the larger should be the proportion of sand in it, 
to prevent its becoming an obnoxious paste. There ought not to 
be a single worm in any mixture for pot plants. Large stones 
must, of course, be removed. Any bits of decayed wood which 
occur in the leaf-mould should be thrown out. A mixture ready 
for use should be quite damp, yet dry enough to be handled freely 
without soiling the fingers. If it is wet and sticky it is not fit for 
use. 
A capital basis for the universal compost may be prepared in the 
folloAving manner : — Procure equal quantities of the top spit of a 
good loamy pasture and of good stable manure from well-fed horses. 
As they are carted into the yard have them built up into a tall 
square stack in alternate layers, a layer of turf, and a layer of 
manure, and leave the stack untouched for twelve months. Then 
cut from the stack by slicing dowmwards from the top as wanted, 
and take the mixture as the basis of a loam compost, adding sand 
and leaf-mould to lighten it, but not adding any manure, as in this 
respect it will be rich enough already. 
Loams and peats difi"er so much in quality that it is difficult 
to convey an idea of what is good or bad of either. Nevertheless, 
it will not be difficult, in any district, to make discovery of the best 
sorts available for horticultural purposes, and the amateur who 
means it will soon discover the way. 
Having always dwelt in a northern suburb of London, we have 
been accustomed to keep a good store of Wanstead peat in the garden 
