PREPARATION OP THE GROUND. 
3 
natural requirements. To begin with, it may be said 
that the best all round soil for flower growing is a 
good deep loam. Such a soil will only need to be dug 
deeply, and have a good layer of well-decayed manure 
buried in it about a foot beneath the surface. The 
digging will improve the drainage and enable fresh 
air to surround the roots, and to assist in dissolving 
the inorganic plant foods in their vicinity. 
In the case of heavy clay soils, however, through 
which neither air nor water can pass, it means hard 
work to convert such soils into a fertile condition. 
Still, it is by no means impossible. In the first place 
the soil should be trenched to a depth of three feet or 
more, and completely broken up, incorporating as 
much road grit, sand, leaves, and manure as possible 
with it at the time. If in a particularly sodden state, 
broken clinkers, and brickbats, and even ashes from 
the grate, may be buried in the botton of the trench 
so as to improve the drainage. It is of the utmost 
importance in a cold, heavy, wet, soil to get the water 
out of it. By doing so the heat of the sun is engaged 
in warming the soil round the roots of the plants 
instead of being frittered away in evaporating water 
which ought not to be there. In the preparation of 
a heavy soil quick lime may be used liberally. If 
spread over the ground after it has been broken up, 
and just covered over with a layer of soil, it will 
gradually “ slake,” and in doing so absorb a good deal 
of the unnecessary moisture from the earth. Inci- 
dentally also, it liberates potash, converting it into 
nitrate of potash (a most valuable plant food) with any 
humus (decayed organic matter, vegetable or animal) 
b 2 
