90 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



used for this purpose — and the plants should, as a rule, be firmly potted — that is, 

 the soil should be firmly pressed about the roots. 3d, The plants should -never 

 be allowed to got dry ; and, on the other hand, the soil should not be drenched 

 too heavily. It is always best that the water given to the plants be allowed to 

 pass freely from the bottom of the pots, and thus, to keep water standing in the 

 Baucera occupied by the plants is generally a bad practice, as it will often so sod- 

 den the roots that they will rot, and the plant become unhealthy, if it doe8 not 

 die outright : and 1th, Air must circulate freely among the plants if they are to 

 be made healthy and to thrive well; therefore sash-windows are always best for 

 flowers, as a supply of air invariably finds its way in from without, even when 

 the Bashes are closed. Plenty of light is as indispensable as plenty of air, and 

 the undue crowding of the plants should be altogether avoided. Window-gar- 

 deners are often what may be termed "greedy" in this respect; they so crowd 

 their windows that the inevitable result is, the plants are all badly done, whereas 

 a few could be managed with the best possible results. The cultivation of win- 

 dow plants is always open to one annoyance, that of the presence on the plants of 

 a small green insect, generally denominated the "green-fly." When these ap- 

 pear, some soap-and- water should be applied, either by the use of a soft brush 

 or by the hand, carefully washing off the fly in the act. 



As window plants are generally very much exposed to the sunshine, the 

 action of the sun will produce flagging, loss of leaves, and a decay of health if the 

 plants are not well supplied with water. The moisture supplied to the plants 

 must be regulated by the weather ; but I have met with some window-gardeners 

 who evidently thought, judging from their practice, that no more water was 

 needed during a hot day in July, than in a dull close misty day in November'. 

 The old antipathy to watering plants when the sun is on them should be got 

 rid of. If the plants can be sprinkled overhead in hot weather, so much the 

 better ; it helps to impart vigour to the plants, as well as to keep them clean. In 

 dull wet weather it need not be done, but the leaves can be kept occasionally 

 cleansed by using a piece of damp sponge. 



These are very simple rules that can be carried out at odds and ends of time ; 

 their performance involves no labour, scarcely any expense, and but little time 

 in the aggregate. The pleasure enjoyed as per contra who can estimate it ] 

 Depend upon it, plant-growing is the operation of a no mean home-influence for 

 good, and it is one of the aims of the 'Gardener' to extend this influence as far as 

 it can lend a helping hand to do so. 



— a^S^^r^s- 



HOW TO GROW POT -ROSES. 



Many elaborate directions for the preparation of Roses for pot-culture are given 

 by various authorities, but they all resolve themselves into two principles — to 

 get strong plants, and to place them properly in the strongest mass of soil in a 

 given bulk. It has been already intimated that the Rose upon its own roots is 

 the only legitimate form for growing in pots. Let such, then, be obtained, 

 healthy and well developed, with three or four leading shoots and abundance of 

 fibrous roots ; we have next only to procure the pots and compost. Proper Rose- 

 pots are differently shaped to the ordinary kinds ; they are widish at the bot- 

 tom, so as to hold the greatest possible quantity of earth. Choose them large 



