MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 31 
or pruning of woody perennial plants, such as roses, pre- 
sents new problems, but these need not be entered upon 
shi as few plants of this class are ordinarily grown in the 
ouse. 
Repotting.—Plants grown in pots for long periods of 
time finally become oontacaat & e., the roots become 
crowded, making it necessary to transfer the plants to fresh 
soil in somewhat larger containers. If the plant with the 
ball of soil adhering to the roots is removed from the pot 
by inverting the latter and tapping gently, on a surface, the 
condition of the plant can be readily determined without 
injury to the latter. If the roots are plentiful around the 
outside of the ball of earth it is an indication that repotting 
is necessary. It should be remembered, however, that it is, 
generally speaking, not advisable to repot the plants after 
the flower buds have appeared, as the disturbance is usually 
sufficient to cause a retardation in the time of flowering as 
well as stunting the flowers themselves. In these cases it is 
better to leave the plant undisturbed, and as a substitute for 
repotting, supply the roots with liquid cow manure, which 
may be obtained from florists. Beneficial results will be 
obtained from this fertilizer, whether plants are pot-bound 
or not, if applied just prior to the flowering period. In 
repotting, the plant with the adhering ball of soil should 
be removed to a somewhat larger pot, the additional space 
being filled with fresh, rich soil. In general it is advisable 
to shift plants at shorter intervals into somewhat larger pots 
rather than into much larger ones at longer intervals. en 
plants are freshly potted in the fall Just before bringing 
them into the house, it will usually not be necessary to repot 
before the following spring. The whole matter of repotting 
is so important that unless one is thoroughly familiar with 
the details, it is advisable to have it done by a competent 
florist or to do it under his direction. This is especially true 
since the method used is different for different plants, involv- 
ing also the proper choice of soils. 
GERANIUMS 
In the June, 1914, number of the BULLETIN, announce- 
ment was made of an extensive test of geranium varieties 
with a view to adding, if possible, new desirable varieties to 
the small list of those at present known to be suited to grow- 
ing in St. Louis and vicinity. In this experiment. 367 
varieties were included, careful observations on which were 
kept during the last season, especially as regards heat and 
drought resistance, profusion of flowers, color, shape, and 
size of flower clusters, character of foliage, ete. Although 
