HORTICULTURE. 297 



into pots. This preparation consists in giving them a thorough soaking with water a few 

 hours previous to taking them up, without which they will suffer materially under the opera- 

 tion. Put them in as small pots as possible, place them in a situation where they will get 

 -only the morning sun for some days, and during that time sprinkle them every few hours 

 with water through a fine-rosed waterpot or syringe, and place them gradually in the full 

 light as they seem able to bear it. They will " miss the change" but very slightly, and, besides 

 the requisite labor attending plants kept in pots the whole season, will be much better plants. 

 The exceptions to the above (deciduous shrubs) are best left in the ground till their leaves 

 are ready to fall, say about the end of September, as, if they are lifted before the wood is 

 ripe, they seldom flower freely. The plants should be all housed before the weather becomes 

 even "white frosty," and at the return of spring, or, in this latitude, early in May, set out 

 of doors a few days, then cut down as is usual with geraniums, and afterwards planted out to 

 grow, as in the previous season. When the plants turned out of doors have begun to grow, 

 a few young shoots of each kind should be taken off and struck. Young plants thus raised 

 will come into flower a few weeks after the old ones are gone out, and will, besides, come in 

 useful to retain wherever the old ones grow too large. Besides the plants I have above noted 

 as permanent green-house plants, there are many special things that cannot be dispensed 

 with. The Camellias Double White, Candidissima myrtifolia, and Lady Hume's Blush are es- 

 sential in a collection of bouquet flowers ; nor can Azaleas Indica alba, Phoenicia;, and Smithii 

 be omitted. These can be grown with the other plants, by giving them an open, turfy soil, 

 well drained, and an abundance of water while growing; little when comparatively at rest 

 and. partially shaded in summer-time. The Horse-shoe or Scarlet Geraniums, Geranium Compto- 

 nianum, the Oak-leaved, and Rose-scented are essential ingredients in my ideas of a winter 

 bouquet ; and in the spring of the year, the lighter-colored Cinerarias and white and scarlet 

 Verbenas. Cuttings of all these should be put in expressly for this purpose early in the 

 summer, and grown for a few months in the fall. Mignonette and Phlox Drummondii should 

 also be sown in pots with these, for the same object. 



The Rose must not be forgotten. For a small green-house, I would select the following 

 kinds as blooming very freely under very common treatment : Cels, white ; Devoniensis, pale 

 lemon ; Madame Bosanquet, creamy white ; Souvenir de Malmaison, rosy white ; Caroline, 

 salmon white ; Lyonnais, salmon ; Common Daily or Monthly China, pink ; Hermosa, rose ; 

 Carmin Bean, purplish rose ; Agrippini and Louis Philippe, crimson. Roses for blooming early 

 in winter should, in all cases, be turned out of their pots, and lifted in August, in the same 

 manner as already described for a class of plants. When they are repotted, a good propor- 

 tion — say one-third — of coarse stable-manure, with the turfy loam employed, will be of 

 great service. 



There are many other plants, and tribes of plants, which are indispensable to make a 

 green-house gay in the fall, winter, and spring, as Chrysanthemums, Cactuses, Hyacinths, Leche- 

 naultia, Pimelia, &c. But I have thought it best to confine myself to plants which will serve 

 at once to adorn the green-house and to cut for the centre-table. 



Directions for Making Bouquets. 



The following directions for making bouquets are derived from a communication published 

 in the Horticulturist : — 



Hand-bouquets should not exceed eight inches in diameter, and if for an ordinary occasion, 

 the flowers may be gathered without regard to color ; but for a bridal bouquet white flowers 

 should predominate, although violets, mignonette, and heliotropes may be aplded for perfume. 

 For an ordinary bouquet, six or more large flowers are requisite, giving the preference to 

 camellias and roses. The camellias should be cut off close to the calyx of the flower, and 

 an artificial stem provided for it, either by a wire bent, as shown in fig. 1, which is thrust 

 down through the centre of the flower, between the petals, so as to be entirely concealed, or 

 else by passing the wire laterally through the upper part of the calyx and the lower part of 

 the petals, as in fig. 2. In the latter case, the two ends of the wire should be bent down and 

 twined together. The camellia is also sometimes cut off with a small portion of the stem, and 



