72 



Tlie Horticulturist and Journal 



Greenhouse for March. 



THIS is one of the most busy months in 

 the year in this department, both in pre- 

 paring stock for the flower garden and also in 

 repotting and preparing plants for growing 

 and flowering in pots ibr the remainder of 

 the year. 



Soil. 



It is presumed that there has been some 

 preparation in the way of providing soil 

 for potting, previous to the winter sea- 

 son commencing ; this should be attended 

 to the previous summer, when the soil is 

 dry. At that season we will give a few hints 

 on the subject ; at the present time we must 

 write as if that was provided at the proper 

 time and is now dry and fit for use in a 

 convenient place, and may mention that soil 

 should at all times be used about the same 

 temperature as the house in which the 

 plants are grown in ; this is easily managed 

 by filling a few boxes with the kind required 

 and placing them the previous day in prox- 

 imity to the heating apparatus ; this is 

 especially necessary for tender hothouse 

 plants and young seedlings and cuttings. 



Clenti Pots, 



We have seen people surprised that some 

 tender plants made slow progress after potting 

 where soil not much above freezing had 

 been used, and, perhaps, also watered with 

 cold water ; it would be more surprising 

 if many did not die. In last month's notes 

 we mentioned the importance of keeping 

 the pots containing plants in greenhouses 

 clean by washing the outsides when neces- 

 sary ; it is quite as essential for the inside 

 of pots to be clean when the plant is placed 

 in it; if a dirty pot is used the roots cling 

 to the sides to such an extent that it is 

 difficult to turn the plant out again without 

 breaking many of the best roots, or shaking 

 the ball to pieces. We are aware washing 

 pots is generally looked upon us a great 



and for growing very cheap plants by the 

 thousand in the trade there would not be 

 sufl5cient advantage gained, independent 

 of appearances, to compensate for the labor 

 expended ; but we consider a fifty cent plant 

 will pay for a clean pot. 



Draining' 



It is an open question in this country if 

 we should drain pots or not. We can only say 

 both arc right ; certainly it is waste of time 

 and loss of pot room to occupy space with 

 crocks or charcoal in pots less than seven 

 inches in diameter in which plants will re- 

 main but a few months, but it is equally 

 waste of time to expect first rate results 

 with large specimen plants, probably to 

 remain in the same pot for years. We say 

 nothing about such plants as Orchids ; it 

 would be absurd, and do not suppose the 

 most thorough antidrainers would expect to 

 grow these plants without drainage. We re- 

 serve all the broken flower pots to use for 

 this purpose, and although we often have 

 great waste in that respect, both from bad 

 packing of new pots received, and also in 

 plants received as well, besides breakage 

 from some maker's pots which receive such 

 a slight burning that when soaked with 

 water they fall to pieces when handled from 

 their own weight ; this fault can be par- 

 tially referred to the old theory that it was 

 impossible to grow plants satisfactorily in 

 a hard pot. We have grown at least as good 

 plants in glazed pots and also in pots made 

 of glass as in the usual make of pots, which 

 proved to our satisfaction that soft pots 

 were both unnecessary and unsatisfactory, 

 and in large sized specimens very unsafe from 

 liability to break when lifted, and probably 

 break the plants at the same time, from 

 falling to the floor. 



Verbenas. 



It is now time to propagate the principal 

 collections of plants for the flower garden. 

 Verbena cuttings should be rooted early in 

 the month to have good strong plants ready 

 to plant out by the second or third week in 



waste of time and money in this country, ] April ; it is a mistake to keep Verbenas in 



