CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER. 
271 
have them as completely under command as if they were still in 
pots and houses, and this can only be done by so preparing the 
beds as to render them as it were only pots on a larger scale. 
If this view of the case be near the truth, then a thorough system 
of drainage is the foundation on which all after operations must 
rest. This secured, it then becomes necessary to attend to a 
proper compost for the plants. The object to be attained in 
the present case is, to obtain the greatest quantity of brilliant 
flowers—not a luxuriant growth of leaf, as with cabbage and let¬ 
tuce, or finely swelled fruit, as in the orchard; either of which 
latter points gained would be at the expense of flowers or plants, 
and not at all compatible with the intention aimed at. There¬ 
fore, to keep the plants under command, and prevent too luxu¬ 
riant a growth, a comparatively poor soil should be used—poor, 
light, and porous—so that all moisture may pass rapidly off, 
and not remain too long in contact with the roots to injure or 
rot them in any way. A stiff soil is objectionable on account of 
the difficulty of working it, independent of its being unfit for the 
majority of the plants. Rough dung or other strong manures 
should also be avoided, as causing the plants to run to leaf 
instead of flower ; and great care should be taken never to over¬ 
load the compost with much manure of any description. If a 
light sandy soil be used, its management is much easier than 
any other, for, in the earlier part of the season, if the rains are 
heavy, they can pass freely through; and if the summer is as dry 
as is usual, the necessary watering will take more effect on such 
a soil than on one caked like a brick on the surface, until the 
heaviest waterings or rain will run off, and not penetrate to the 
depth of an inch. In such a soil, too, the application of manure, 
when necessary, is easily effected by using it in a liquid state, 
and applying it very sparingly. Many people apply liquid ma¬ 
nures as freely as they do common water, and thus defeat the 
object they have in view. In China and Peru, where manures 
are expensive, it is usual to apply them in small quantities at dif¬ 
ferent periods during the growth of the crops, so that they may 
receive the benefit of it at the times when the plants are most in 
want of it. As it is bloom that is the object in the present case, 
few plants ought to receive any stimulant other than water after 
they are once well established and have commenced flowering. 
