THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



167 



tended with danger, for the sun 

 striking upon the wet foliage migut 

 disfigure it. Syringing in a green- 

 house will scarcely be required, ex- 

 cepting during the period named, 

 whilst the general stock is making its 

 priucipal growth ; even then plants 

 in flower must be shunned, but the 

 object sought by syringing is not so 

 much to drench the plants, as to 

 create a soft, growing atmosphere, 

 which may be accomplished if done 

 before the sun is wholly off the house, 

 by throwing the water into the air, 

 and upon the floor aud walls. Any 

 individual plant or climber, on the 

 other hand, that shows the presence 

 of red spider, at whatever season, 

 must be soundly soused ; and this 

 may be beat done, in the case of pot 

 plants, by laying them down upon a 

 bast mat, and playing the syringe 

 well at the under sides of the leaves ; 

 and this must be repeated often, until 

 the spider is put to flight. 



Watering at the root is an impor- 

 tant matter ; if plants are not supplied 

 with as much as they require, they 

 do not attain to the perfection, either 

 in stature or flower, they are capable 

 of, and arc, iu consequence, more 

 subject to the attacks of insects. On 

 the other hand, if supplied with more 

 than they require, the sod turns sour, 

 the leaves of the plant turn yt How, 

 and it soon puts on anything but a 

 pleasing appearance; then, in order 

 to shun these extremes, use observa- 

 tion, and give water whenever the 

 soil seem to be approaching a state of 

 dryness, and at no other time; this 

 may happen twice a-day, or twice in 

 a week, but give it then, and give it 

 effectually, so that it passes out at 

 the bottom of the pot. Plants that 

 have tilled their pots full of roots, and 

 plants in active growth, will be found 

 to require much water in hot weather, 

 but less in dull and damp weather ; 

 whilst others that have not so filled 

 their pots, or that are not so vigo- 

 rous, would be only ruined by a like 

 application. The same rule holds 

 good in the application of liquid ma- 

 nure, and in the using of paus to set 

 the pots in, both of the latter do more 

 harm than good, unless the pots are 

 full of roots. The best liquid manure 



for pot plants, ig made by steeping 

 horse and dry cowdung in a tub or 

 tank, so constructed that the liquid 

 can be drawn off clear, for turbid 

 manure water renders the pots un- 

 sightly. The above is simple and 

 can scarcely do harm ; but guano and 

 other artificial manures must be used 

 with extreme caution, say no more 

 than half an ounce to a gallon of 

 water. 



Insects. — The green-fly, or aphis, 

 clusters upon the points of young 

 tender shoots and the under sides of 

 the leaves, and increases at a prodi- 

 gious rate ; these are destroyed by 

 burning tobacco in the house, with 

 all the ventilation and crevices closely 

 stopped. Thrips, which often infest 

 myrtles, azaleas, and eve:i cinerarias, 

 may be looked for on the under sides 

 of the leaves ; these may be banished 

 by repeated smokings, but are rather 

 tenacious. Scale, brown and white, 

 infest such plants as acacia, orange, 

 neriiun, myrtles, etc. ; these may be 

 removed by patiently washing each 

 leaf with a tooth-brush, and a mix- 

 ture of soft-soap, sulphur, and tobacco- 

 ju.ce. When the plant is gone over 

 in this way, syringe well with clean 

 warm water. Slugs should be looked 

 for by candle-light, and impaled by a 

 skewer. 



Temperature and Air. — Although 

 a change of air to plants is of great 

 importance, I do not recommend that 

 " the sashes should be thrown open 

 at all tunes when it is not frosty," but 

 at all proper periods when it can be 

 done without starving the plants by 

 cold. From November until March, 

 give air only at the top of the house, 

 so as to avoid cold draughts among 

 the plants ; after that time, it may be 

 given on all suitable occasions both 

 back and front. Seize the opportu- 

 nity to air freely on the mornings of 

 bright day 8, from the time the air cf 

 the house begins to be sensibly influ- 

 enced by the sun's rays until the 

 meridian is passed, then begin to 

 close, so as to retain a portion of the 

 solar warmth, and not allow the 

 house to remain open until the tem- 

 perature has declined to the same 

 point as the external air ; and, if 

 possible, every day that the sun 



