142 HOUSE PLANTS 



because it is soft; about a foot long, an inch 

 to an inch and a half wide, and about 

 three-quarters of an inch thick, rounded at 

 the ends and the corners smoothed off, so 

 as not to hurt the hands. 



CARE AFTER POTTING 



When potted, water the plants, giving 

 them enough so that all the soil in the pots is 

 thoroughly moistened, and set them in a 

 shady place for a few days, where they are 

 sheltered from the wind. The watering will 

 help settle soil among the roots. In order to 

 help the plants recover from the shock of 

 transplanting, syringe the foliage three or 

 four times a day, doing it early in the morn- 

 ing and late in the afternoon, with a couple 

 of syringings in the middle of the day. Take 

 care, however, not to give them so much 

 water that the soil in the pots will be kept 

 very wet, because if you do the soil will 

 sour. Great care must be exercised to keep 

 the soil moist but not water-logged. At 

 this time the plants are forming new working 

 roots, so they can take only a small quantity 

 of water from the soil. 



In a couple of weeks when the new roots 



