THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



271 



pair and sound glass can make it. 

 The house may be large or small, and 

 either be a lean-to or span-roofed. 

 Aspect is not very material, but per- 

 haps near the south would in this 

 case be desirable, for the sake of the 

 extra warmth Avhich would be derived 

 from the sun if thus placed. It would 

 also be desirable to have the house 

 wholly occupied by these, or at least 

 by such other plants with them as 

 would submit to the treatment they 

 required. In such a house the plants 

 should be placed. They should be 

 nearly or quite dry, water being with- 

 held from them in autumn, and only 

 so much applied, at wide intervals, as 

 would prevent them from losing their 

 vitality from drought ; they will bear 

 to shrivel a little without injury. 

 Whatever medium may be about 

 their roots, whether turfy peat or 

 sphagnum, or moss of any other kind, 

 should appear comparatively dry when 

 placed beside the ordinary slightly 

 moistened soil which is kept about 

 the roots of common greenhouse 

 plants at this season of the year — it 

 should not be quite so dry as dust, 

 bvit considerably drier than would be 

 sufficient to render it friable, and 

 easily handled without adhesion. The 

 nearer the roots and the soil can be 

 kept in this condition throughout 

 their period of rest — the winter — the 

 safer they will be ; and this may be 

 accomplished by looking over, say 

 once a week, and with a spouted 

 watering-pot pouring a little tepid 

 water on the soil — not on the plant — 

 where it was observed to be getting 

 drier than it should be. But little 

 air need be given ; on fine days a 

 little fresh air may be admitted to 

 assist in purifying the atmosphere, 

 but in cold, bleak weather this will 

 be unnecessary ; the middle of warm 

 sunny days is at all times the most 

 suitable period for admitting it. The 

 temperature may be kept up at about 

 an average of from forty to fifty 

 degrees during the day, which should 

 be maintained by slight fire3 in the 

 morning, in conjunction with such 

 sun heat as may be available. The 

 lowest temperature should be during 

 the most inclement weather, for it is 

 very erroneous management during 



such periods to keep the temperature 

 up by extra fire-heat. At night it would 

 be desirable to keep the temperature 

 ranging about forty degrees, though 

 in case of emergency, if the plants 

 are dry, three or four degrees lower 

 would not do much harm. They 

 should not be allowed to get frozen 

 however. The safety of the plants 

 while submitted to so low a tempera- 

 ture, is almost entirely dependent on 

 their being kept dry, as already 

 pointed out. If it should chance 

 that any of the plants begin to grow, 

 do not then check them more than is 

 unavoidable, but give them the 

 warmest places the house affords, 

 and a slightly increased quantity of 

 water. The winter treatment should 

 be continued to the end of March, 

 uuless a little fire heat can be afforded. 

 If so, it may cease about the begin- 

 ning of March. At whichever season 

 it may be, the first- change is to 

 slightly elevate the temperature, say 

 from an average of fifty degrees to a 

 minimum of fifty degrees. A trifling 

 amount more of water may be given 

 too — about enough to keep the soil 

 just evenly moistened, as is attempted 

 during winter with other delicate 

 plants ; always use warm water, that 

 is to say, water heated equal to the 

 temperature of the atmosphere kept 

 up ; this guards the plants from many 

 checks just as they are about to start 

 afresh. Do not be anxious to give air 

 at first. If a little fire heat be given 

 during March, April, and May, the 

 plants may be got on well, for this 

 will suffice to start and keep up their 

 young growth, and the summer atmo- 

 sphere would then carry them on. 

 The cost of this would not be a heavy 

 amount, as in neither month would 

 a strong fire be requisite. In March 

 it is desirable to start with a minimum 

 of fifty degrees ; in April there should 

 be a minimum of fifty-five degrees ; 

 and in May of sixty degrees. These 

 increases would be almost covered by 

 the increasing natural warmth of the 

 season, as all the sun heat that could 

 be caught should be husbanded by 

 avoiding careless ventilation. A few 

 hours' sun even in March will gene- 

 rally raise the temperature to sixty 

 degrees ; and if the house were kept 



