1876.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



32t 



is virtue in the full pot plan. It is almost im- 

 possible to over-water a pot when it is packed 

 quite full of earth. Saucers must of course be 

 kept under window plants, in order to guard the 

 •arpets from water. But the water must not be 

 allowed to stand in the saucei's ; when it has all 

 passed through the pot, the saucers should be 

 emptied. 



Hanging baskets, on the other hand, are gen- 

 erally too dry. Besides the daily waterings, 

 about once a week they should be immersed in 

 a bucket of water. 



Window Plants should not be kept very warm 

 at this season. They should have all the sun 

 and air, and as little of the artificial heat of the 

 room as possible. These remarks apply espe- 

 cially to Mignonette, which is very impatient of 

 in-door confinement. Succulents, such a Cacti, 

 are excellent window plants in this respect, as 

 the dry air does not affect them. To keep 

 the air about the plants moist, is one of the se- 

 crets of window-culture. Some who have very 

 fine windows well stocked with fine plants, make 

 glazed cases with folding doors of them, by 

 which, when the room is highly heated and very 

 dry, they can be enclosed in an atmosphere of 

 their own. In such cases, ferns and mosses can 

 be grown to perfection, and pendant plants in 

 hanging vases give a Brazilian forest appearance 

 to our happy Christmas homes. 



The greenhouse will now begin to look more 

 natural, after having had the stock housed last 

 month. With many plants having probably been 

 taken up out of the open ground, dead leaves 

 will daily appear, requiring frequent removal. 

 Neatness is one of the chief beauties of a green- 

 house. Acacias, and Australian plants generally 

 with hard wood and delicate roots, should be 

 placed at the coolest end of the house, where lit- 

 tle water will be required. These plants should 

 not be watered often ; but when they are, it 

 should be thorough. Frequent waterings soon 

 render the roots of these plants unhealthy, when 

 it is very difficult to restore them to vigor. 

 Whenever the foliage becomes of sickly yellow 

 hue, the best plan is to plunge the plant in a 

 larger pot, filling the space with moss, — and 

 when the plant requires water, give it only 

 through the moss, unless the plant seem to be- 

 come so dry as to suffer, when it should receive 

 one thorough watering. Very little fire should 

 be applied to a greenhouse — just sufficient to 

 keep it at about 45°. Unless very far north, but 

 little fire-heat will be required this month. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



VERBENA RUST. 



BY W. T. BELL, FRANKLIX, PEXNA. 



Robert Palmer (in September number) calls 

 this a fungus, and may be correct, although some 

 good authorities say it is occasioned by an insect. 

 In my opinion, it is of more importance to grow 

 verbenas well. There should never be any rust 

 to remedy. It is better to throw rusty plants 

 away, and get others that are young, clean and 

 vigorous, and keep them so, and there will not 

 be need to doctor them for the rust. 



[We should be glad to have an article from 

 our correspondent as to "growing Verbenas 

 well," for we must confess to seeing rust on 

 plants, that in old times we should have thought 

 were under the best treatment. — Ed. G. M.] 



RHODODENDRONS UNDER GLASS. 



BY MR. GEO. MOORE, WABAN CONSERVATORIES, MASS. 



Noticing Mr. Parsons' article on Centennial 

 Rhododendrons, I observe that all which are not 

 hardy here he condemns as only adapted to 

 greenhouse culture, but why could not means be 

 adopted for their protection by housing them 

 in the winter in cold houses or cellars? As 

 another correspondent remarks, they can be 

 kept out of ground a long time with safety, and 

 all familiar with them know that from the na- 

 ture of their roots, removal is practicable and 

 easy at all times. If Gladioli, Dahlias, and the 

 like are worthy of the annual care they receive, 

 surely such superb shrubs as these under consid- 

 eration will as well repay the effort to thus pro- 

 tect them. While admitting that those who 

 plant Rhododendrons without regard to soil, 

 situation and subsequent care will be sure to 

 meet with disappointment ; I do not think that 

 it is fair to discourage lovers of them, by con- 

 demning them as "utterlj-^ worthless when 

 planted in the open ground," without stating that 

 many fine varieties besides the " four " alluded 

 to will flourish if proper attention is paid to the 

 locality in which they are planted, &c. Mr. Nel- 

 son took the right course by following nature, as 

 stated by him in his common sense article in 

 your Magazine, p. 259, and if your other corres- 

 pondents had given some directions as to the 

 best method of planting and protecting, instead 

 of consigning all, or nearly all of this beautiful 



