. Cyclopedia of practical floriculture. Floriculture; Flower language. f CULTIVATIOX ANALYSIS OF PLANTS. tion; and the amateur culturist must therefore not be discouraged. Few studies will better repay one than floriculture, in the charms of the gentle, peaceful influence which it throws around the human soul. In the language of the poet Wordsworth, He is happiest who hath power To gather wisdom from a flower, And wake his heart in every hour To pleasant gratitude. Leaving poetrv and the fascinations of flowers, we now propose to descend to the more material and coarser elements tiiat und
. Cyclopedia of practical floriculture. Floriculture; Flower language. f CULTIVATIOX ANALYSIS OF PLANTS. tion; and the amateur culturist must therefore not be discouraged. Few studies will better repay one than floriculture, in the charms of the gentle, peaceful influence which it throws around the human soul. In the language of the poet Wordsworth, He is happiest who hath power To gather wisdom from a flower, And wake his heart in every hour To pleasant gratitude. Leaving poetrv and the fascinations of flowers, we now propose to descend to the more material and coarser elements tiiat underlie the growth of plants; and "to begin with the beginning," or where the flowers begin, it becomes our duty to unfold what is required, in the way of soil, water, etc., for the practical culture of ^fe SOILS. IRST comes Loam, which plays so important a part in all vegeta- tion, and which is described as a mixture of sand, clay and carbonate of lime, with the oxide of iron, magnesia and various salts, also decayed vegetable and animal matter. It varies in different localities in regard to depth as well as quality. In soine places it is brown, and in others iT nearly or quite black, particularly in the West, where in the bottom lands of the Missouri it is sometimes found more than thirty feet deep, as wells of that depth have failed to reach its bottoin. If it is stiff and heavy, the clay predominates; in which case for flower-beds, and indeed for farming pin- poses also, it would be improved if a moderate proportion of sand or stable- manure were well worked through it to make it more porous and, as gardeners say, warmer; for, if the soil is too cold and retentive of water, plants do not thrive. Sand is a very useful material in plant-growing, especially in greenhouse and window culture; and, while it contains no nutriment, it is sometimes used to grow some kinds of bulbs, to start slips, and, as has been said, to make soil more porous. Its uses are to mak
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecad, booksubjectfloriculture, bookyear1884
