22 
Garden Work 
able quantity. Potash improves the quality of all crops if 
properly applied, and also intensifies the perfume of scented 
flowers. Heavy clay soils usually contain sufficient potash 
for the need of most plants. Its application is therefore 
more particularly required on light, sandy soils, and there 
is no fear of its being washed out, especially if there is 
a sufficient quantity of lime in the soil. The lime neutral- 
izes the acid, and unites with the potash to form carbonate 
of potash. Sulphate of potash is the best of the more 
concentrated forms to use, as it is not easily washed out 
of the soil. It is better to apply this particular manure 
early, even in winter, when it is purified in the soil, and 
by the springtime or early summer it is in a state available 
as plant food. 
MURIATE OF POTASH 
This is another concentrated form of manure, but, as 
it should only be used by the most experienced gardeners, 
it is not necessary to deal with it here to any great extent. 
It must be applied very early in the winter, so that it can 
be thoroughly purified in the soil before the crops grow 
up. Some crops, such as Potatoes, prefer this form of 
potash on certain soils, but there is a great danger of 
doing injury when its proper use is not well understood. 
KAINIT 
This is another form of potassic manure. It is less 
concentrated, and therefore there is less fear of doing 
any damage by using it. It is, however, less pure, and 
must be applied early in winter, so that purification may 
