38 
ON PREPARING SOILS AND COMPOSTS. 
ON PEEPAEING SOILS AND COMPOSTS. 
(JHNCE the use of manure in a liquid state has become so very fashionable among both professional 
^ and amateur cultivators, it is doubtful whether too little attention has not been paid to the use of 
proper soils and composts, for though manure, in the liquid state is a convenient and excellent aid, it 
is quite certain that a properly prepared compost, as containing all the ingredients which a plant can 
require from the soil, is the best to be used. According to old rules, or, indeed, to practices of the 
present time, composts consist of various ingredients mixed together in the prepared or decomposed 
state, as mellow loam, leaf-mould, rotten dung, &c. These, though good and healthy, except in special 
cases, are not calculated to induce luxuriant growth, for the manure of old hot-beds, the kind generally 
used, is not rich, neither is the soil from old commons, which is generally preferred. Now, in the 
growth of plants, more especially for purposes of exhibition, it is customary to limit the size of the pots 
for certain kinds of plants, and hence those who aim at high cultivation, have to seek in rich compost 
what the plants under other circumstances would find in a quantity of soil; in fact, they endeavour to 
concentrate, in a given space, the fertility of a larger volume of material. Without entering into the 
rationale of the subject, it is well-known that annual and soft-wooded plants require more manure than 
shrubs and trees, and hence, to get the greatest quantity of nourishment into the smallest space, 
without, at the same time, making the soil or compost unhealthy, is a secret worth knowing. 
Although much has been written in favour of guano, superphosphate of lime, and other manures, 
we never use them. In the stable, the cow-shed and the sheep-walk, all that is required for horticul¬ 
tural purposes may be found, and hence no risk need be run of this being too strong, or that too weak. 
If it were given as a problem, “ What is the best compost to prepare for the general cultivation of soft- 
wooded plants ?” the following would be our answer:—Procure from a suitable place two cart loads of 
rich loam with the turf on, and as free from oxide of iron as possible; then get from the nearest 
stable, where the horses are highly fed, a large cart load of dung, selecting that which has been 
thoroughly soaked with urine—for it must be recollected the urine carries off the soluble salts of the 
food of the animal, and the excretia the mineral, and hence it is very important that both should be 
had. When you have got the loam and manure home, place each in a separate heap, three or four 
yards apart, shaking the manure out, and mixing it together just the same as you would to prepare it 
for a hotbed, only do not allow it to heat too violently; to prevent which it will be necessary to shake 
it out every three or four days. In a fortnight it will be fit for use ; then commence, as you would to 
form a hotbed, by marking out the ground, say six feet long and four feet wide, and upon this place a 
layer of the hot dung nine inches deep, and then a layer of loam, and so proceed, reserving a good 
layer of loam for the top, until all is used. In forming the bed, beat the manure firmly as you proceed, 
but leave the loam loose, and square the work up properly at the last. Then place over the heap loose 
litter to the thickness of twelve or eighteen inches, and cover the whole with mats closely pegged 
down ; the object being to excite fermentation, and to prevent the escape of the ammonia and other 
essential gases. The heap may remain in this state for a fortnight or three weeks, or until the heat 
begins to decline, then turn it over, taking care to throw the sides into the middle, and to mix the 
loam and dung thoroughly throughout. The covering must be again put on as before, and remain on 
until fermentation has almost ceased. Here then we have a compost as rich as the manure it is formed 
of; but it is so strong that great caution must be exercised in its use, or injury will be the result. To 
prepare it, however, lay it out in thin ridges, fork it over once a-week to expose it to the ameliorating 
influence of the weather, but protect it from drenching rains, which would soon wash all the nutriment 
away. After being exposed for a few weeks to the full air, the outsides of the ridges will be fit for 
use; but if it could be exposed for twelve months before using it would be all the better. Except for 
very strong-growing plants, this soil is too strong for general purposes, and hence—more especially 
when used in a fresh state—a portion, say one third, of fresh loam should be mixed with it. 
The above is a compost which we can recommend for soft-wooded plants of all kinds, and in it, 
when properly prepared, plants may be grown stronger, and more healthy, in three-inch pots than 
