10 THE florist’s JOURNAL. 
deposit of decayed vegetable matter of Shirley and Wimbledon 
Commons to the stiff black bog-mould of the fens of Lincoln¬ 
shire, every practical cultivator knows that, with the first, his 
plants would receive the required nourishment, while, with the 
latter kind, it would be difficult to raise anything much higher 
in the scale of vegetation than a moss or lichen, yet the non¬ 
professional grower, after paying a high price, often receives 
such stuff under the name of peat, and his plants are either 
starved or rotted by the application, and it is with a view to 
help him out of this difficulty that I make this digression. 
Good peat may be known by its fibrous texture, generally con¬ 
taining some of the larger roots of ferns, and other plants in a 
decaying state, and should always be full of smaller fibres 
together with small shining particles of sand ; if it has a black 
and sodden appearance it should be rejected. It is more diffi¬ 
cult to describe good loam, as it may vary much in colour and 
still be good; but I generally prefer a bright yellow loam, 
without any approach to either clay or gravel, both of them 
being vital objections ; the quantity of sand contained in it 
also differs much in some localities, but it is better to have too 
little than too much, as it is far easier to add it than to extract 
it. Having said thus much on the subject of soil, I must leave 
the cultivator to the exercise of his own discretion in the selec¬ 
tion. The compost required for Tropseolums is about one third 
of the fibry peat above described, an equal quantity of well- 
rotted leaf-mould, and the remaining third rich loam and fine 
white sand; these should be well mixed, and left rather rough, 
not sifted by any means. I will now proceed to the situation. 
While the plant is growing it requires a full admission of fresh 
air; the circumstance of its being generally "found when in a 
wild state on elevated rocky places, will supply to the grower 
the best idea of what his plant requires most; a shelf in the 
greenhouse near to the glass, where air can be admitted freely, 
is the nearest approach to its native habitat, and here it should 
not be surrounded by plants, which would impede the circula¬ 
tion, but stand singly and alone; of course, the supply of air 
must be consistent with the state of the atmosphere outside of 
the house, for, being a Peruvian plant, it will not bear frost or 
