October 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
it, it may be at once observed, that one safe maxim is 
to obtain it wherever you can, without stealing it. Never¬ 
theless, if I must choose my period for obtaining it, I 
should select a very dry time in March ; next best, a 
dry time in September. Loams should always be 
obtained in a dry period; for little do many folks dream 
what mischief they do by handling some loamy soils 
when wet. Let any man take two turves of the same 
loam—the one dryish and mellow, the other wet; let him 
place the latter in the ground, and tread it with his feet, 
and let him then use the two turves separately for 
potting some choice plant: I will engage, that he will 
produce a much better uniformity or equalizing of mate¬ 
rial in his compost with the dry turf than with the wet and 
trodden one. And, unquestionably, if ho pay attention, 
he will see a difference in tho success of the two speci¬ 
mens, of course, both alike. The prime object, then, I 
conceive, in housing and husbanding loams, is so to 
work them as that they shall preserve that admirable 
porosity which is the conjoint result of atmospheric 
action and fibrous expansion, and which, destroyed by 
an ignorant mode of handling, cannot be easily restored. 
Loams thus obtained in a dryish state should be piled 
up in as sharp a ridge as possible in the compost-yard ; 
say, a base of four feet, and rising to five feet at the 
apex, and then using a ridge-turf, cut on purpose, of 
any light, soiled turf, to throw off the rains; the ridge- 
turf overlapping a foot on each side, and well closed at 
top. When such comes to use, do not let your man cut 
and tumble it about anyhow, or he will soon spoil it, 
and waste much of it; also, see that it is out by a sharp 
spade, in perpendicular sections, from one end, with the 
same care as in cutting hay. 
Sandy Heath-Soil, Peat, &c. —The former is by far 
the safest ingredient in general composts, although so 
many prefer peat; but in my opinion, where good heath- 
soil is obtainable, that peat may be generally, if not 
always, dispensed with, and its place in the compost 
usefully supplied by very old cow-dung, leaf-soil, &c. 
But this heath-soil requires a little preparation, and will 
be all the better if a year or two in the yard before using. 
It should have plenty of old heather on it, and if a little 
fern so much the better; just roughly mowing the fern 
and heather before cutting the turf. Now this I would 
cut when rather moist, and I am of opinion that quick¬ 
lime would be of good service here, dusted heavily on 
each layer of turves on tho upper side. This would 
have a tendency to break down the fibres, which are 
very tough, aud probably exercise a beneficial influence 
in regard of tho acid, which, sometimes, renders peat 
soils, at least, somewhat unfertile. 
Leaf-Mould. —Of course this and the former aro 
merely different forms of what our chemists term humus ; 
but although, chemically, they may possess great iden¬ 
tity, yet, mechanically, they have a different effect. It 
must here be understood, that I do not wish to confine 
the ideas of tho reader to decayed leaves alone, although 
such is, for general purposes, the best form in which to 
use it in composts. I use the term in a generic sense, 
as signifying almost any half-destroyed vegetable mat¬ 
ter, which, although mellow enough to blond intimately 
with composts, has not totally lost its organic character. 
Thus, old and spent tan, weeds of any kind reduced, 
very old straw, dung from which the chief of the drop¬ 
pings had originally been extracted, old thatch, &c.;— 
Such things, and many more, may be quoted as eligible 
for general purposes, their eligibility for present use 
depending mainly on the qualifications before alluded 
to, of being in what the gardener terms a mellow state. 
However, old tan is a thing to be handled with a little 
caution: undecomposed, it is understood to possess too 
much of the tannin principle; highly decomposed, it is 
powdery and loose when dry, and so clammy whon wet, 
that it is too liable to clog that openness in composts 
1 # 
which is of the utmost importance. It is, however, 
very well as a stop-gap, and better adapted for dressing 
ground in a lean condition, where manures aro scarce. 
Decayed leaves of a year or more, especially if they 
have been used as fermentative matters, make, perhaps, 
a better vegetable soil than other materials; a stock 
should always be kopt in the compost-yard, and the 
heap, like other materials of a solublo character, should 
be kept in a conical form, and means taken to keep 
out rain. 
Manuriai. Matters.— These, of course, are various, 
but horso and cow manure may be considered tho chief. 
Horse-manure is seldom used as it comes from the 
stable-yard, being generally required for hotbeds, &c,, 
from whence it becomes excellent material for any pur¬ 
pose. My practice is to chop it to pieces immediately it 
is removed from the hotbeds, for it breaks up much 
finer at that period than after receiving rains, and this 
minute division of its parts is of much importance. I 
think it may bo held sound practice to mix the com¬ 
ponent parts of any compost so that the whole may 
become, apparently, a uniform mass, or, as far as the 
lumpy character of the fibrous materials will permit; 
besides this, I advise that whenever the horse-droppings 
are not particularly required to be retained in tho dung 
from the stable-door, that they bo shook out and re¬ 
moved to tho Compost-yard. They make a capital 
material for many purposes, such as Vine-border dress¬ 
ing, the top-dressing of needy fruit-trees, and those 
newly planted, besides a variety of other objects. Thus 
much for horse-manures, in two forms; and it may be 
observed that the hotbed dung is very frequently mixed 
with leaves, in which case it is even better adapted for 
composts than mere manure. 
Cow-dung is anothcr important manure in this yard; 
it is eligible for very important purposes. Almost all 
plants that are of rapid growth, and are required to 
make high display, with a bold development of parts, 
enjoy a portion in their compost. It is considered cooler 
in its nature than horse-manure; consequently, com¬ 
posts containing it aro less liable to dry up suddenly in 
our hothouses. This manure requires to lay in the 
compost-yard many months; indeed, the older it is the 
better. I find it good practice, when tho heap is re¬ 
quired for use, to turn aud mix it with fresh charred 
ashes; these introduced liberally, aud the whole fre¬ 
quently turned and divided, speedily become a friablo 
mass, and should be housed immediately. No rain 
should reach it afterwards. 
Charred Materials.— Theso, with mo, have become 
so important, that I should not enjoy a peep into my 
compost-yard if it did not contain them. It is, I think, 
impossible to overrate the practice of charring all vege¬ 
table refuse that comes to hand systematically; not 
only on account of the invaluable mass of materials 
which this practice gives back to the gardens, but on 
account of the cleanliness involved in the practice. By 
it, there is not occasion for that filthy accumulation of 
rubbish which renders the yard a nuisance; and, more¬ 
over, if the process be rightly conducted, scarcely a seed 
from the weeds can ever vegetate; they are stewed in 
suoh a way as is by no means congenial to the seeds of 
weeds. For my part, I seldom use a compost for any¬ 
thing hut a little of this material is contained in it; 
and for all seed-beds, on soils somewhat stubborn, it 
is excellent. Char, then, I say, three or four times a 
year, all vegetable refuse not required for any other 
purpose. 
About tho Moss, Sand, &c., I need say little. A few 
words, liowover, on soot and guano before 1 conclude. 
Of course, I do not expect that every one is in a 
position to appreciate, off-hand, the value of what some 
gardeners term practically “priming;” but I can assure 
those who doubt, that I have experienced enough 
