THE MANAGEMENT OF GREEN-HOUSES 



71 



it, not exceeding one part. Good turfy peat 

 is, however, generally sandy enough. This 

 should be well mixed together, so that the 

 roots shall find all the soil alike, and not 

 more loamy in one part than other. This 

 compost being comparatively poor, and very 

 pervious to water, the greatest possible at- 

 tention is required as to the watering; and 

 this may be generally applied to soils of 

 which the greater part or any considerable 

 part is peat, for the water runs through it 

 quickly, and when it is once neglected till 

 dry, the plant suffers, if it does not die. 

 Every time a heath wants water too long 

 together, some of the lower leaves turn yel- 

 low and fall. This makes so many naked 

 stems to heaths of any size, hut a worse ef- 

 fect is caused by giving too much, or by the 

 stoppage of the proper drainage of the pots. 

 The more full a pot is of roots, the more 

 constant must be the watching and neces- 

 sary watering, because the water cannot be 

 held so long by the small quantity of mat- 

 ted soil, as if there were but few roots. In 

 some cases a heath may be wanting water 

 twice a day. The cuttings of heaths should 

 be taken from the last produced shoots, two 

 inches, or one inch, in some cases, long ; 

 the lower half should be stripped of the 

 leaves, and the upper half have all left on. 

 Get a pot of heath soil filled, all but half 

 an inch or an inch of sand, according to the 

 cutting ; water the sand so that it may be 

 saturated with wet, and stick in these cut- 

 tings so that they just touch the soil, but 

 not go into it ; cover with a bell glass, wa- 

 ter with a very fine rosed water-pot, so that 

 the sand shall never be thoroughly dry ; 

 wipe the glass dry inside every morning ; 

 let them be in a cool part of the green- 

 house, and be shaded from the sun; when 

 they set off growing well, you may con- 

 clude they have struck root, and pot them 

 in sixty-sized pots. They may be kept in a 

 common garden frame all the summer, if 

 you please, or in the most air)' part of the 

 greenhouse. Here they may be shifted as 

 they fill the pots without roots, and require 

 but ordinary attention. 



GERANIUMS. 



The soil, for the healthy growth of this 

 family, may be of loam (No. 2) three parts, 

 dung (No. 7,) or for want of it droppings 



(No. 10,) or if neither can be had, dung 

 (No. 5) one paTt ; peat one part, well in- 

 corporated. Cuttings may be struck when- 

 ever they can be got, but the usual time for 

 any quantity is July, when everybody cu!s 

 down the old plants. These require no 

 care whatever. If they are put in the open 

 border, and shaded, they will strike ; but 

 those who have choice kinds will cover thern 

 with a hand-glass, and place them all in the 

 shade ; when struck, pot them in sixty-sized 

 pots, pinch out the top to induce side shoots, 

 and leave them out of doors until Septem- 

 ber, simply changing their pots if they get 

 too full of roots ; when removed to the 

 green-house, examine the roots, and, if 

 necessary, remove them into larger pots, and 

 place them among the other plants to take 

 their chance. The large plants, when they 

 have done flowering, may be cut down to 

 such skeleton shape as shall give a chance 

 of growing handsome ; and let them remain 

 out of doors, shifted into a size larger pot, 

 or trimmed up about the roots to go into the 

 same with fresh loam. In September re- 

 move them also to the house. If any of the 

 shoots come so as to cross others, rub off 

 those which are least wanted, to give 

 strength to the others and keep the plant in 

 form. If any shoots grow too vigorously 

 for the rest of the plant, pinch off the end, 

 and so regulate the growth in this particu- 

 lar, that it maybe handsome. As the blos- 

 soms come out they will require shading, or 

 they will not remain long in bloom. When 

 in flower you do as you please with them 

 until the flower declines, and then turn 

 them out of doors, cutting them down again 

 in July, putting them back into the house in 

 September. 



CEREUS, EPIPHYLLUJI, CRASSULA. 



These subjects take any soil better than 

 that which has been popularly recommend- 

 ed. They do not require to be starved. A 

 compost made of loam (No. 2) one half, 

 peat, (No. 1) one quarter, and dung (No. 7 

 or 10) one quarter, will grow them well. — 

 They want but little water nil the winter, 

 and as their buds begin to swell they may 

 have a supply. After they have done flow- 

 ering, turn them out of doors, place the 

 pots under a south wall, or in the hottest 

 part of the garden. In September, remove 



