342 



CALENDAH OK OPERATIONS FOR AUGUST. 



they want small offs<-ts to grow 

 into saleable plants, and use much 

 more exciting composts. Dickson, 

 for instance, uses good loam and 

 sand for one-third of his compost, 

 half horse and half sheep's dung 

 to form another third, tlien leaf 

 or vegetable mould and peat, which 

 form another third. Now peat, if 

 reall}' pure, is good for everytliing 

 in some proportion, and a caintal 

 thing to lighten stiff loam; but 

 feat varies more than any other 

 soil ; and while from some com- 

 mons, as Wimbledon, for instance, 

 it is excellent, from many other 

 places it is full of iron, and poisons 

 everything it touches, or nearly so. 

 Now. the loam from rotted turves 

 is nearly one-third vegetable mould, 

 and one-third woody fibrous matter, 

 piirtaking a good deal of the nature 

 of peat, and one-third earth itself. 

 If.\ou are obliged to use clear loam 

 without the fibre and turf, one- 

 third of loam, one-third of good 

 peat, and one-third of vegetable 

 mould would be an equivalent 

 for the loam from rotted turves ; 

 and with regard to the dung, 

 sheep's, horse's, or cow's, when 

 rotted into mould, only differ in 

 strength, not in quality. Sheep's 

 is the coolest, cow's the next, 

 horse's the warmest, and half 

 horse's and half sheep's would be 

 equivalent to all cow's ; but the 

 grower need not fear his propor- 

 tions very much. When you are 

 potting the plants take off all off- 

 sets, and those which have no 

 roots should be put round the \ 

 edge of a small pot or pots. Let j 

 these stand in the centre of ' 

 larger ones filled with mould, so 

 that a bell-glass may be placed over ; 

 tliem, for it hastens tlie rooting. 

 Those which have roots may be i 

 potted in proper sized pots, always 

 taking care that the pots be not 



too large ; and offsets may have oil 

 tlie soil shaken out of iheir roots 

 when shifted, except in growing 

 time, when, if they require other 

 pots, the ball ought to be i-eraoved 

 whole. "When potted give gentle 

 watering; place them all in a frame, 

 and shut them up for a day or two, 

 shading them from the sun. 



Bahnms require chan<:;es of pots 

 and picking off the blooms all the 

 w^iile you require them to increase 

 much in size ; but when you want 

 to encourage the bloom they may 

 be left in their pots. Those wlio 

 desire to grow them very large 

 must give plenty of pot room, 

 plenty of heat, occasional picking 

 off the young buds, and plenty of 

 water. Others, who want moderate 

 size and early flowering, Tuay leave 

 the plants to themselves as soon 

 as they are in thirty-two sized 

 pots. 



Carnations and Picofees. — When 

 the Carnations and Picotees have 

 done blooming, and the shoots are 

 all layered, turn the pots out of 

 doors, and let the plants have all 

 the weather. See that they are 

 not devoured by slugs or snails. 



Chrysanthemitms. — Take heed 

 I that the young plants which are 

 j out in the open ground do not 

 root through the pot into the 

 eartli ; shift them into other pots 

 as the old ones get filled with 

 roots ; pot off the struck cuttings 

 of last month in sixty-sized pots, 

 and place them in the open ground 

 as soon as they are established, 

 and when the pots are filled with 

 roots shift them successively to 

 forty-eights and thirty-twos. The 

 plants that were lopped last month 

 for cuttings have become bushy, 

 but they must be well attended 

 to and shifted ; for, although they 

 will be later, they will be fine if 

 taken care of. 



