00 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



mellow soil, the remainder with common sand. The object of soil in the 

 bottom of the box is to furnish the plantlets with food as soon as they are 

 ready for it, as it is not always convenient to pot the cuttings as soon as 

 rooted. Set the box on blocks that will raise it three or four feet from 

 the ground ; this will allow the warm air to circulate around it. All the 

 light possible should be given to the cuttings, without allowing the direct 

 rays of the sun to touch them. A tree or grape trellis forms a suitable 

 shelter. The best time to take off cuttings is in the evening, when plants 

 are partially at rest. Short cuttings, as a rule, do better than long ones, 

 and they should be taken off smoothly with a sharp knife, as when slips 

 are broken or cut with a dull knife the delicate tissues are ragged and 

 torn, thus the chances for a healthy new growth taking place are lessened. 

 When the new plantlets are sufficiently rooted to pot, they will send out 

 new leaves. 



The most easily managed and the most economical pots for plants 

 are ihose of common unglazed earthen. In choosing select those that are 

 almost as large at the base as at the top. Those that taper downward 

 look more graceful perhaps, but they hold least earth just where most is 

 needed. The form of the pot will not be noticed if the plant is admira- 

 ble. Always adapt the size of the pot to the plant it is to receive, allow- 

 ing at least an inch of soil between the roots and sides, and two or three 

 inches between the roots and bottom. If the pots have been used previ- 

 ously it is well to scrub them inside and out with hot soap suds, to destroy 

 any insects or their eggs that may be harbored on them. Whether the pots 

 are new or old, soak them for ten or fifteen minutes in water before using. 

 These pots are very porous, and will draw the moisture from the soil 

 placed in them, if not previously soaked. Put enough bits of broken 

 earthenware and charcoal in each pot to cover the bottom of it, being 

 careful to place one piece directly over the opening in the bottom. This 

 will prevent the soil from washing out, and will not prevent a surplus of 

 water from draining off. Plants that have been in pots all summer, and 

 are desired for winter blooming, should be treated as follows : Withhold 

 water from them for as long a time as may be done without causing them 

 to wilt. Loosen the ball of earth from the sides of the pot with a thin 

 knife, invert the pot, then by gently knocking on the bottom, the plant 

 and soil will slip out entire. Hold the ball of earth in your clasped 

 hands and shake carefully, allowing as much of the soil to sift through 

 your fingers as will do so without breaking the small roots. If the old 

 soil does not all, or nearly all, fall from the roots, keep the plant in the 

 same position, and move it gently back and forth in a tub of water till 

 the roots are free from dirt ; re-pot immediately in fresh soil, water, and 

 keep in the shade for a few days. This method of re-potting must be fol- 

 lowed only when bloom is not desired for six or eight weeks. When a 

 plant Jias been kept in the same soil for a number of months, it will give 

 satisfaction for a much longer time if potted according to the abpve 

 directions, than if the ball of earth containing the roots is removed to a 

 larger pot with a necessarily small amount of fresh soil around it. It is 

 too much the fashion to wait till time for frost before preparing plants for 



