204 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



set again in the greenhouse or cool 

 frame, water when necessary, and 

 encourage by a shift of two sizes 

 whenever they require it; that is, 

 say a plant has well filled a 32-pot 

 with roots, let the next move be into 

 a 16-sized pot ; let the drainage be 

 thorough, and at every shift use the 

 richest soil. 



If room can be spared, it is better 

 to encourage the growth of the hardy 

 ones in the cool frame or greenhouse 

 for three or four years, as they will 

 sooner be capable of producing effect 

 when planted out. When they are 

 to be planted out, prepare the soil by 

 trenching and manuring, making the 

 soil as rich as for a crop of onions in 

 the kitchen garden, and let it be in a 

 position in which water cannot stag- 

 nate about their roots. If the situa- 

 tion should be naturally wet, let the 

 ground be well drained by the inser- 



tion of a drain twenty-four or thirty 

 inches in depth. One other thing to 

 be attended to in their culture ;is to 

 allow them to remain in the natural 

 position through the winter months. 

 It is common to tie the leaves to- 

 gether ; this practice is decidedly in- 

 jurious two ways : in the first place, 

 it prevents any moisture which may 

 find its way into the heart of the 

 plant from drying out, and is thus 

 very likely to accelerate rot in the 

 crown, and cause destruction ; and in 

 the second place, the leaves left in 

 their natural position afford very 

 considerable protection to the stem 

 and roots of the plant from frosts and 

 drying winds, a provision as neces- 

 sary as that in the Rhododendron 

 Catawbiense, which droops its leaves 

 so as to embrace the stem, and thus 

 protect it from the severity of winter. 

 W. Chitty. 



POTATO DISEASE. 



The crop of potatoes is this season 

 generally good, but in many places 

 the disease has actually appeared, and 

 is doing much mischief. Whenever 

 it is suspected that the disease has 

 got into the field, it will be advisable 

 to take up the crop instanter. The 

 tubers will all ripen if kept in store 



some time before they are used, and 

 if they are sorted over ten days after 

 taken up, the diseased may all be 

 picked out, as by that time it is more 

 easily detected. If left in the ground, 

 the disease will make great havoc, 

 and perhaps spoil the whole crop. 



CONSTRUCTION OF FLUES. 



Flues should never be disturbed after 

 they are built for the necessary opera- 

 tion of cleaning them. Bricks should 

 be left out at intervals, and fitted in 

 after the rest is finished. Those con- 

 structed of pipes should have junction 

 lengths placed at intervals ; the holes 

 in them may be stopped with a piece 

 of slate and cement, to be taken out 

 when cleaning is necessary ; they 

 should be carefully cemented to- 

 gether. If each length of flue is per- 

 fectly straight, openings can be left at 

 each end, and brushes with long 

 handles can be thrust through the 

 entire length, so that they may be 



cleaned without the possibility of dis- 

 turbing the joints — a most fertile 

 cause of smoky flues. Pipes should 

 never be placed within twenty-five 

 feet of the fire, but beyond that they 

 may be used with safety, and it would 

 surprise any one unaccustomed to 

 them what heat is secured by them. 

 The draught of fire is proportioned to 

 the height of chimney. The kind of 

 fuel to give a most lasting heat, and 

 one suitable for heating by flues, is 

 breeze, or ashes, from a common 

 domestic fire-place, mixed with one- 

 third coal. Flues should always be 

 furnished with vapour troughs. 



