THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 69 



to pot. If the pot has been in use before, the remains of its former 

 occupant may not suit the taste of the new one. It is a general 

 saying with gardeners, " One plant's food is another plant's poison." 

 The roots of a plant always seek the outside of the ball, forming a 

 dense network all round the inside of the pot; any deleterious 

 matter would thus be sure to tell on the health of the plant, which 

 will not be the case if the pot is washed before using. 



After giving the pot what you consider proper drainage, put in a 

 little soil, then take the plant by the neck with your hand, let the 

 roots hang loosely in the pot, keep the neck of the plant fair in the 

 centre, and with the other band heap up the soil loosely in the pot. 

 Bump it down smartly several times, pressing home the soil with 

 the thumbs at the same time. This insures the ball of the plant 

 being of the same firmness throughout. In shifting an established 

 plant into a larger pot, proceed in the same way, keeping the plant 

 in the centre and the surface of the ball a little below the level of 

 the pot, taking care that all round the sides is properly filled in, no 

 vacancies being left; a moderate ramming down with a stick will 

 insure this being done. Always leave room for watering ; and with 

 a settling bump or two to the pot, the potting is completed. 



After potting, water with a fine rose, if you have one, if not, pour 

 the water on gently, but do not by any means give too much at first. 

 Just give enough to settle the soil, and let it rest for some hours 

 before you give any more. Giving too much, or, as I may say, 

 soaking the ball at first, does the plant harm, as it makes the ball 

 like a puddle. A little at first settles the soil, and when you water 

 again, the water percolates freely through the ball and drains away 

 at once. 



In shifting a plant into a larger sized pot, the proper rule is 

 to select a pot in which the one you are to shift from can stand 

 easily. A rooted cutting should only have a three or four-inch pot 

 at first, and be shifted into a larger when the pot is full of roots. 

 I would not recommend you to grow plants in any larger size than 

 an eight-inch pot. Six or seven inch is the most convenient size 

 for window plants. If plants such as fuchsias or geraniums have 

 outgrown the eight-inch size, it is best to cut them back and reduce 

 the ball so as to allow room for fresh soil in the same pot. Cape 

 geraniums — those with the large partly-coloured flowers— should 

 always be cut back after flowering to the second eye on each branch, 

 and potted back into a smaller pot, from which they can be shitted 

 into the larger size again in the early spring after they have made 

 some growth. 



Window plants should always stand in flats to keep the window 

 dry. The water which settles down into the flats after watering 

 should always be thrown out, as it is injurious to the plants to let it 

 remain, tending to rot the roots by keeping the ball too moist and 

 preventing the action of drainage. The proper time and way to 

 water plants is very little understood by some people. Through 

 excess of kindness they make a point of watering their plants at 

 stated times without considering whether it is required or not, and 

 often the poor plants are killed through this excess of attention 



March. 



