CALENDAR OF OrEKATIOXS FOR OCTOBER. 



363 



hy a covering of fern. For the 

 dwarf plants this may be stuck 

 into the soil among the plants ; 

 for standards it must be tied 

 amongst the branches which form 

 the head, the stock or stem re- 

 quiring no protection ; and w^hen 

 the plants are trained against a 

 wall or trellis, the material should 

 be thinly fixed over them in that 

 position, commencing at bottom, 

 so that the layers may overlap 

 like tiles on a roof. They must 

 not be so thickly covered as to 

 exclude light and air : what may 

 nppear a very slight covering in- 

 deed attbrds a very great amount 

 of protection. The Tea-scented, 

 China, and Bourbon classes of 

 Roses are those which most require 

 this protection. 



THE GREENHOUSE. 



This department requires now 

 to be kept as open as possible. 

 All the plants will be better for 

 air if the weather be at all mild; 

 and if the weather be damp, light 

 a fire and open the house to dry 

 it now and then ; but if the house 

 be dry, and the weather damp, 

 keep all close. Be particular in 

 keeping all kinds of plants clear 

 of dead leaves, and remove all 

 litter and dirt from the shelves. 

 Water must be administered 

 sparingly, that is, seldom ; for 

 whenever a plant is watered the 

 entire soil in the pot must be 

 wetted. Many a plant has been 

 lost by misunderstanding what it 

 wants, and to be directed to be 

 sparing of water was enough to 

 make them give a little instead of 

 a quantity ; whereas it should be 

 understood that the soil is to be 

 saturated as completely as at any 

 other season, but much more 

 seldom. For instance, when a 

 plant is growing it requires the 



soil to be saturated or filled as it 

 were once a day, whereas, if you 

 are to water sparingly, it may be 

 wanted only once a week. The 

 effect of giving small quantities 

 often, instead of large quantities 

 seldom, is that in the one case the 

 water reaches an inch down the 

 soil, and all below that, though 

 equally supplied with fibres, is 

 kept dry, while in ti)e other the 

 whole soaks equally all through 

 the pot whenever it is adminis- 

 tered. On a judicious watering 

 there is more depends than on 

 anything that a plant requires. 

 No month ought to pass without 

 examining the ball of a plant, by 

 rapping the edge of the pot on 

 the bench so as to turn out the 

 ball of earth into your hand, and 

 then you can see whether it is all 

 moist alike or otherwise, and klso 

 whether the roots are getting too 

 much matted round the sides of 

 the pot, for if they are, a shift to 

 a larger -sized pot is necessary. 

 Beyond this, the greenhouse only 

 wants general attention to clean- 

 liness, to a sufficiency of air, and 

 to the efficiency of the drainage. 



Calceolarias require much the 

 same treatment as Cinerarias. 



Chinese Primrvses, which should 

 be attaining almost to their bloom- 

 ing size, like to be put in the full 

 light, and they should have plenty 

 of ah', in order that the blossoms 

 may come of a rich colour. If 

 they have not been recently shifted 

 they will probably require repot- 

 ting to carry thera through the 

 winter; and in this case it should 

 be done at once. Great care must 

 be taken with such newdy-potted 

 subjects, that they do not get 

 soddened with water. 



C/irysanthemmns in pots are the 

 better for the shelter of a green- 

 house, or even a little forcing, 



