160 THE GARDENER. [April 



for summer flowering in pots should be examined and potted if they 

 have plenty of roots ; some in unhealthy soil may have the ball re- 

 duced, and fresh drainage and healthy soil given. Fuchsias, Calceo- 

 larias (shrubby), Zonale Pelargoniums, Aloysias, and Heliotropes, are 

 among the leading kinds grown by amateurs. Surfacing healthy roots 

 with rotten manure and fresh sandy loam may be done with advan- 

 tage, but care must be exercised not to close up the roots from air, as 

 is so often done by unsuccessful cultivators of orchard-house trees. 

 Vines, Figs, and many other fruits are ruined by this kind of surface- 

 clogging. Air into the soil is as necessary as air to the foliage. Manure- 

 water does much for vigorous healthy growth, but it should always be 

 used in a clear state. Soot and sheep's dung make a simple but power- 

 ful stimulant ; stir it well for a day or two, and let it settle to the bot- 

 tom, using enough to colour the water. Any plants grown in peat, such 

 as Azaleas or Heaths, do not require manure-water, though a little clear 

 soot-water can be used with advantage by experienced men. More 

 water will now be required at the roots of plants as the season advances ; 

 give it in the morning, except where structures are subject to drying 

 heat. When nights are warm, the afternoon is the time to water. 

 Keep all surfaces of pots clean and well stirred, and tolerate no dirty 

 pots. Look after insects and other vermin among all plants. 



M. T. 



JOTTINGS ON THE TULIP. 



NO. III. 



Unlike the Auricula, the Carnation, and the Pansy, and several other 

 suchlike gems of beauty which the zealous and enterprising florist has 

 taken into his hands and heart, the Tulip gives a long season of repose 

 to its admirers, thus affording them opportunities of bestowing atten- 

 tions to those more tender objects of their affections necessary to 

 bring them successfully through the long and tedious winter to which 

 they are exposed, with its boisterous gales and nipping frosts. But 

 though "buried beneath the clod" for a season, it does not lose its 

 place in the affections of its possessor, who is constantly calculating in 

 what way it will make its appearance when in bloom, and how close 

 it will run its competitors in the race for a silver cup, or how high 

 it will stand in the classes. And even when hidden from view, it is 

 found not to have been inactive, but all through the long winter, 

 on the contrary, it has been occupied in forming its rootlets and 

 advancing the future bloom — thus silently, and without observation, 

 carrying on its own individual work. 



