THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



165 



kets to suspend from the roof, in 

 which to grow trailing-plants, such as 

 ivy-leaved geraniums, Isolepis graci- 

 lis, Lycopodium denticulatum, Tra- 

 descantia zebrina, or any other plants 

 of prostrate habit. 



Pots of different sizes, ranging 

 from two to eleven inches in diameter, 

 should be kept in stock, so that any 

 plant that requires potting may be 

 put into the size pot it requires. All 

 pots not in U3e should be kept under 

 cover, otherwise the wet and frost 

 will destroy them. The kind of pots 

 best calculated to preserve plants in 

 health are the common red earthern 

 pots. It i8 true that, under first-rate, 

 treatment, plants have been made to 

 succeed in china and glass pots ; but 

 their close texture rendering them 

 impervious to moisture and air, con- 

 sequently less likely to be successful 

 in the hands of the inexperienced. 

 New pots should be put into a tub of 

 water for a few hours before being 

 used, that their pores may be tho- 

 roughly charged with moisture, in 

 order that they may not dessicate the 

 soil put into them ; and all pots, 

 likewise, from which plants are taken 

 should be well scrubbed and cleaned 

 before being again used. 



Soil. — Where a great collection 

 of tropical and other plants from 

 every quarter of the globe are grown, 

 it is necessary to have a correspond- 

 ing array of soils and composts ; but 

 our amateur's stock may be of very 

 simple pretensions. Indeed, a friend 

 of the writer's, who lived in the City, 

 and had a well-furnished greenhouse 

 upon the leads of his dwelling-house, 

 procured his soils from a nurseryman, 

 and had a neat seat at one end of his 

 greenhouse, beneath which was con- 

 cealed large glazed earthern jars ; 

 these had lids of zinc, and kept the 

 soil always ready at hand, and in a 

 proper state for potting ; that is to 

 say, a state between wet and dry, 

 when it is neither dusty, nor so wet 

 as to stick to the fingers. If dusty, 

 when used, it would be very difficult 

 to properly and thoroughly moisten 

 it afterwards ; and if too wet, it would 

 be converted into mud during the 

 potting process ; but if in a state be- 

 tween the two extremes, it falls nicelv 



between the roots of the plant, and 

 takes water kindly when done. If 

 the amateur prepares his own com- 

 posts, let him lay down a flooring of 

 marl and cinder ashes well rammed, 

 or cement and gravel, or some such 

 material, upon which to lay his soil. 

 Then procure one load of tender 

 loam — the top spit from a pasture or 

 common, or the grassy border of a 

 field ; half a load of horse and cow- 

 dung, picked from a meadow or pub- 

 lic road. From the latter they have 

 a portion of coarse grit gathered with 

 them, which is serviceable. Then get 

 together all weeds, sticks, and other 

 rubbish, and char them, putting out 

 the fire before they are burnt to 

 ashes. Five or six bushels of this 

 may be put to the heap ; or, if no 

 refuse of this kind is at hand, refuse 

 charcoal, from the dealers, may be 

 used, first breaking it small. Mix 

 these together and put into a compact 

 heap, which may be turned over once, 

 after laying together for six months, 

 and will then be in a state for use ; 

 and, with the exception of a small 

 stock of silver- sand and another of 

 peat-earth, is all the compost abso- 

 lutely necessary for growing the com- 

 mon greenhouse plants. But as I 

 know that peat-earth is extremely 

 scarce and difficult to procure in some 

 parts, and if our amateur is not 

 wealthy, the carriage of the same 

 from a distance might prove a source 

 of uneasiness, I will, therefore, tell 

 him how to make a very good substi- 

 tute for it, which will be likely to 

 answer his purpose as well, if not 

 better, than the real peat, provided 

 he do not aim at the growth of heaths 

 or azaleas. Scoop out a hole in the 

 ground, into which put two barrow- 

 loads of cow-dung, three barrow-loads 

 of the decayed sticks and vegetable 

 refuse from a wood-stack, or some 

 other such source, one barrow-load of 

 silver-sand, slightly cover with the 

 soil that was scooped out of the hole, 

 to keep the mass moist and prevent 

 birds scraping amongst it. When 

 thoroughly rotted to a powder, take 

 up and keep in some convenient 

 vessel for use. 



Potting. — All pots have a hole in 

 the bottom, which is intended for the 



