The Garden Under Glass

POTTING AND POTTING SOILS 227 the moisture fairly well, and seems to be relished by the young roots, which take to it quite readily. Soft bricks should be chosen to be crushed, and the dust passed through a fine sieve. Silver sand is usually advised for potting soils, and although there is no other objection to it, it has no such advantage over other kinds as to justify much additional expense, The sand obtained from gravel is usually coarse enough, and quite as useful. If the sand be of a very close texture, so as to be as fine as moist sugar, it is better to avoid it. How to Prepare a Compost When preparing a compost the first thing is to get the loam chopped up or broken to the required size, and put on the bench so as to be only about six to eight inches deep. Then sift on to this the necessary amount of leaf-soil. Other matters, such as horse manure and mortar rubble, may then follow. The artificial manure should be sprinkled evenly over the top, and last of all will be the sand. It will now need to be turned at least four times, though I usually prefer six, especially where artificials are used. Turn it well over to one side with the spade, and then back again, until it is seen to be properly mixed. If too dry at the time of potting it cannot be made sufficiently firm, if too wet the result of potting with it will be still more disastrous. When in an ideal state it should so hang together when pressed in the hånd that but a slight touch will be needed to separate it. COMPOSTS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES i. For seeds and cuttings : equal parts of loam, leaf-soil, cocoa-nut fibre and sand, passed through a quarter-