THE MANAGEMENT OF GREEN-HOUSES. 



69 



more shade than cannot be avoided ; light 

 is essential, air is essential, and, above all, 

 room for the free play of this air is essen- 

 tial ; though it is pretty generally the prac- 

 tice to put the pi ints in a greenhouse as 

 close together as possible, there ought to be 

 as much room between them as they occu- 

 py ; and the nearer you can comply with 

 this, the better they will grow. Cleanli- 

 ness is also one of the great requisites for 

 the health of plants ; dead leaves, damp 

 corners, dirty shelves, decaying flowers, 

 and litters of any sort are injurious : what- 

 ever the damp can hang about, is likely to 

 produce mildew; the drawing-room itself 

 does not require cleaning more than the 

 greenhouse, if we intend to do the best 

 with the plants. 



WATERING THE PLANTS. 



The best water for plants is rain ; not a 

 quart should ever be wasted. A tub, or a 

 tank, should be inside the house, and the 

 entire rain from the roof should be con- 

 ducted by a pipe to the inside ; nothing is 

 more simple and attainable, nothing more 

 valuable than a contrivance for a supply of 

 rain-water. Next to this it is desirable to 

 have it the same temperature as the atmo- 

 sphere of the house. One-half the plants 

 that are unhealthy have been chilled by 

 the watering, and, in many places, where 

 they can only get spring water, they are 

 very unsuccessful ; some do not know why, 

 but there is no difficulty about establishing 

 the fact. Hard water is injurious, mineral 

 waters are often so ; river water is next to 

 rain in value, if it be soft ; but even that 

 ought never to be used cooler than the air 

 of the house. Pond water is next to river, 

 if there be nothing noxious flowing into it, 

 but all of these are poor apologies for the 

 rain-water, conducted into the house. Some 

 caution is required in one respect ; when 

 the wood-work has been fresh painted, the 

 water will poison anything, so that it must 

 be turned away until it neither tastes nor 

 smells of the paint. In the mean time, 

 some pains must be taken to get good 

 water. With regard to the mode of ad- 

 ministering water, only those within reach 

 may be said to belong to ladies' work; but 

 it is quite necessary they should set one 

 who understands it to do the rest, for too 



much or too little water is fatal. No plant 

 should be watered while the soil is moist ; 

 but it is as essential, that when it is water- 

 ed, all the soil in the pot should be moist- 

 ened. There is another point that requires 

 attention. If, while other plants are appa- 

 rently dry, any one seems wet, it should be 

 examined, to see if the drainage be free ; 

 because it will be obvious either that the 

 plant cannot absorb so fast as the rest, or 

 that the water has not the means of drain- 

 ing away; if it appear that the drainage is 

 clogged, the ball must be relieved of the 

 crocks or other matter put in at the bottom, 

 and which will appear to have got the soil 

 run among it, and fresh crocks must be put 

 in. A plant suffers as soon from want of 

 the supply of air, and a too great supply of 

 water, as it does from a deficiency. The 

 cistern, tub, or tank, being handy to draw 

 or dip water from, a lady can use just such 

 sized watering pot as is most convenient 

 to handle, and go round the plants to give 

 only such as are dry the requisite moisture, 

 not just a sprinkle at top, but as much as 

 will cause a surplus to run out at bottom. 

 The earth should be examined to see if it 

 be close to the side, if not, the watering 

 has been too long neglected ; for the first 

 symptom of suffering, or danger of suffering, 

 is the shrinking of the ball of earth, arrd if 

 this be not noticed, the water then given 

 proves u.-eless, because it runs down the 

 vacancy between the ball and the pot, and 

 does not soak in at all. 



MANAGEMENT OF AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS. 



The Azalea indica, and Camellia japoni- 

 ca, are as hardy as any of the greenhouse 

 plants, and want as little labor as any, 

 although they must have attention. When 

 these plants are advancing their buds to- 

 wards blooming, they want abundance of 

 water, and to be placed in the part of the 

 greenhouse least subject to draught, or 

 wind. They will do on the general stage, 

 and may be, for the sake of appearance, set 

 about in different parts, but not too near 

 the door. They should be turned frequent- 

 ly, so that one front should not be better 

 than another, and they will keep in flower 

 a long time in perfection. As the flower 

 goes off they begin to make their new 

 growth; they want turning daily just as 



