"2 



THE MANAGEMENT OF GREEN-HOUSES. 



them to the house again. The Crassula 

 may be struck from cuttings as easily as the 

 others, and if left on the ground without 

 inserting at all, will throw down its roots 

 sideways into the earth of itself. Small 

 pieces, however, are generally selected, and 

 after drying the juice, in-erted in small 

 pots, where they are treated from the first 

 like plants, and shifted from time to time 

 ns they fill their pots. The Crassula carries 

 its blooms on branches at the ends of the 

 shoots ; consequently, as soon as it begins 

 to grow from a cutting, the ends are taken 

 off to induce side shoots, and thus form a 

 handsome bushy plant with many heads of 

 flowers, in the one case (coccinea) scarlet, 

 in the other (falcata) orange. The shifting 

 is always best after the flowering is done. 

 The Cereus and Epiphyllum require much 

 such treatment at first. E. truncatum should 

 be stopped until there are branches enough 

 to hang down all around the pot, for the 

 habit is weeping, and the flowers come on 

 the ends of all the branches. 



GENERAL RULES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF 

 GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 



In mild weather, and during winter in 

 particular, if there is any warm gentle rain, 

 a greenhouse plant of any kind is greatly 

 benefited by exposure to the air; not that 

 it is possible to remove all the plants in a 

 greenhouse out of doors whenever the sun 

 shines in winter, or a warm shower comes, 

 but it is as well to know this, because we 

 all have our favorite plants, and we can al- 

 ways put out a few of these when the 

 weather is favorable. 



Never indiscriminately water the plants 

 in a greenhouse, because where there is a 

 mixed collection of various families, some 

 will be found to absorb much more water 

 than others, and it is quite as bad to give 

 too much as too little water. Half the 

 plants in dwelling houses are spoiled by 

 excessive wet, and especially where the pots 

 stand in saucers to prevent the wet from 

 running over the place when they are wa- 

 tered. In greenhouses we have seen this 

 where ladies are very fastidious about the 

 cleanliness of their shelves ; but laudable 

 as cleanliness may be, it is running the 

 greatest possible risk to let plants stand in 

 water. Occasionally examine the pots and 



turn out the balls of earth to see if the roots 

 are matting round the side, for it is the best 

 rule for removing a plant to a pot of a larger 

 size. If the plant is growing, it requires it 

 more than a plant at rest ; for a plant at 

 rest should never be excited until it begins 

 to advance of itself; besides, when a plant 

 is set for bloom, and about to take its rest, 

 until the buds swell by a sudden excite- 

 ment, such as being placed in fresh earth, 

 or having too much heat or water, the 

 bloombuds get blighted, and the germs of 

 the leaves and branches take up the growth, 

 the former being unable to take the fresh 

 supply, because flowers can only take a cer- 

 tain quantity, and the others being unlimi- 

 ted in their means by naturally extending 

 themselves so long as there is a competent 

 supply. The time, therefore, to examine 

 the roots, is when a plant begins to make 

 its growth, or at the decline of the flowers. 

 There need be no other rule for changing 

 pots, but the filling of one with roots; gen- 

 erally, however, once in a season is enough 

 for established plants, and that is after they 

 have flowered, and before they make the 

 next season's growth. 



Constantly turn plants round to prevent 

 their growing shabby on the side which is 

 in the dark, or comparatively so ; and also to 

 prevent its making only one handsome 

 front. All plants should be alike on every 

 side; and although it may give some trouble, 

 it amply repays us by the improved condi- 

 tion. Nothing looks worse than a plant 

 with but one good face, and the others dis- 

 coloured, or leafless or warped. AJways 

 give plenty of room to plants ; the light 

 and air should be able to reach them all 

 round. The best rule is to let there be just 

 the same room between the plants as the 

 plants occupy ; but greenhouse room is so 

 valua^e that this is rarely allowed. Nev- 

 ertheless, it does not alter the fact, that the 

 more room plants have, the better they 

 grow ; and nothing does more harm than to 

 place them close enough to darken the backs 

 of the rows. 



If you want plants bushy and short, you 

 must keep pinching off the ends of branches 

 that grow upwards ; but, as the perfection 

 of a plant is to be full of branches and 

 leaves to the very edge of the pot, this op- 

 eration of pinching must begin early, even 



