FEBRUARY. 53 



So much for personal cleanliness among plants. But we all know 

 that this is a virtue not to be maintained without cleanliness in our 

 dwellings also, and it is just the same with plants. Under the very 

 best management leaves will become dirty in the winter; but a good 

 deal may be done to prevent it, and here, as well as in other instances, 

 prevention is better than cure. Just glance at the lights in the house 

 in which you find the leaves all black and foul — not very trans- 

 parent, are they ? And here is one reason, no doubt, why the plants 

 are in the state they are. The laps are all filled up ^vith a gelatin- 

 ous vegetable production, which is sure to make its appearance along 

 with damp and dirt. And the outside surface of the glass is covered 

 with all the various matters which, floating about in the atmosphere, 

 are from time to time deposited upon it. And so light is shut out. 

 Light is life ; be that never forgotten. Every body believes it, and yet 

 hardly any body acts upon his belief The glass of the greenhouse 

 is allowed to get dirty, and to continue dirty; and the plants being 

 shut out from the vivifying and purifying influence of the light, 

 become drooping and diseased. The remedy is at hand, — soap and 

 water still, and not in homceopathic doses either. When the' plants 

 are housed in autumn, or before they are housed rather, let every 

 bit of glass, whether in the roof or side-lights, and every inch of the 

 building besides, have a thorough out-and-out cleansing; and if ne- 

 cessary, as it undoubtedly will be, clean the glass again during 

 the winter. It is not the cold that we have to fear. That is easily 

 kept out; and where one plant perishes from cold, a dozen perish 

 from the damp and dirty and mouldy condition they get in through 

 the want of light. 



But we must come down a little, and look at the state of the 

 surface-soil in the pots. Why, that is completely covered with a 

 growth of conferva, and looks a good deal greener than the leaves ; 

 and I should be disposed to say, if a gardener thinks to grow plants 

 this way, he must be greener than either. For how can you see 

 whether a plant requires water or not ? and of all the causes that 

 render winter cultivation of plants a failure, none is moi'e effective 

 than negligent watering. And then how can the air penetrate to 

 the roots ? You have hermetically sealed the soil, and yet you 

 expect the plant to grow. Get all this mass of green scraped off, 

 and throw a little fresh soil on the top : that Avill be something like ; 

 and the improvement in appearance will be fully equalled by the 

 improvement in reality. 



In fine, it is impossible to say too much about cleanliness in 

 every thing that relates to the management of plants. Without it, 

 all effort and expense will be thrown away ; with it, a great deal 

 which is commonly deemed essential may be dispensed with. 



F. W. JOYNES. 



