358 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[December, 



too frequent use of "finger and thumb" is bad, 

 — nothing renders a Pelargonium weaker; rather 

 encourage them to grow bushy, by the free use of 

 light, air, and manure-water. 



A good supply of young Fuchsias should be 

 coming on now. Re-pot as their roots fill each 

 pot; let them not want for moisture or light; do 

 not pinch off their tops, but let them grow rapid- 

 ly. The temperature in which they are grown 

 should not exceed 55°. A turfy loam, moderately 

 enriched with well-decayed manure, and well 

 drained with charcoal, suits them admirably. 



The Mimulus is receiving more attention than 

 it has been. Where they are grown, they are 

 much improved by having pans of water kept 

 under their pots. 



Epiphyllums, as they continue to flower, will 

 require the warmest part of the house, and a 

 fair supply of moisture. 



The most interesting tribe of plants at this sea- 

 son of the year is, undoubtedly, the Camellia. 

 The buds frequently drop off before flowering ; 

 this may spring from three causes — from the 

 plants being kept too dry, or from the drainage 

 being bad, whereby the soil becomes sodden, or 

 from the house being kept too warm by insuf- 

 ficient ventilation. As the leaf-buds burst, the 

 plants are benefited by occasional syringings ; 

 and, indeed, an increased supply of water alto- 

 gether, in order to accommodate the demands of 

 the young growth. 



Cinerarias will soon be the chief attraction. 

 The least frost kills them, yet they will not do 

 well if kept in a high temperature. They love 

 moisture, yet are very impatient of damp. No 

 plant is more improved by the use of charcoal 

 in potting than this. 



The Calceolaria vi'iW require the same condition 

 as the Cineraria. 



Hyacinths that have been out of doors, or in 

 any reserve place for protection, maybe brought 

 in a few weeks before wanted ; they should not 

 have much heat, light or moisture for a few days, 

 and then only graduallj'. 



Carnations and Pinks are much admired when 

 grown in pots and flowered there early. They 

 do not flower well if too much warmth be given 

 but the usual temperature of the greenhouse will 

 bring them forward a month before they can be 

 had out of doors. Whenever the roots make 

 their appearance through the bottoms of the 

 pots, they should be shifted into a size larger. 

 They require very little water, and love the light, 

 and whatever manures are used to enrich the 



soil should be thoroughly rotten. The Pansy, on 

 the other hand, delights in half-rotten, strawy 

 manure and turfy loam. If a quantity of seed- 

 lings have been raised in the Fall, they will re- 

 quire potting this month. They do not flower 

 well here when the weather becomes warm ; but 

 when grown in pots, and forwarded slightly by 

 the aid of a cool frame, they do very well. 



Cacti and succulent plants generally, will scarce- 

 ly require water at all, unless in very dry situa- 

 tions, and then receive but a slight sprinkling 

 with a syringe. The rule "When you water a 

 plant at all, let it soak right through," does not, 

 by any means, hold good with these plants, if 

 there be not some other good exception. 



Oranges and Lemons will require the coolest 

 part of the house, and to receive no more water 

 than will just keep them fresh. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



POT DRAINAGE. 



BY F. WELLINGTON BE.VCH, BLOOMINGTON, ILLS. 



Is it necessary to drain my flower-pots? I am 

 asked this question many times during the year, 

 and not only from personal visitors to our estab- 

 lishment does the question come, but from many 

 of our friends and patrons from all parts of the 

 globe. I have come to the conclusion that an 

 answer to this question through the columns 

 of your paper might not only be beneficial to 

 those who have already made inquiry, but to 

 many others who have not taken the trouble to 

 inquire into the matter. 



To make a short and decisive answer I would 

 say that potrdrainage is not only useless but 

 injurious. I expect to be contradicted in my 

 assertion, and-perhaps by those who are much 

 older than I am, but I am perfectly confident 

 that I can show points where drainage is not only 

 useless but hurtful to flowering-plants, and I am 

 confident that I will be upheld in my statements 

 by some of our leading florists, and those of 

 many years' experience. My objections are, first, 

 a waste of time, for where the operator spends 

 time to pick out the drainage from the bottom 

 of the ball of earth, and again replace them in 

 the new pot, before replacing the plant, he 

 spends at least one-half of his time in the ope- 

 ration of replacing the drainage, and this would 

 never do for a greenhouse operative. And in 

 the second place, where drainage is placed in the 



