THE FLORAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 209 



of the sun and air, the wood will attain a necessary degree of hard- 

 ness. Here they remain until taken into the house for the winter, 

 which is generally done about the end of September; the time 

 varies according to season, but they are housed before danger arises 

 from frost. To improve the appearance of the plants, and make 

 them compact and bushy, I stop them at the third or fourth joint, 

 and shift them into five-inch pots, using a little turfy loam and sand 

 with the compost, to allow the water to pass freely through the soil. 

 I give but little air during eight or ten days ; the plants will then 

 be re-established, and afterwards as much air may be given as the 

 state of the atmosphere will permit until the beginning of Decem- 

 ber. The side-lights must be kept closed during the prevalence of 

 cold winds. The pot3 by this time will be well filled with roots, 

 and the plants will require shifting into eight-inch pots. The bone- 

 dust which is now added must be used with caution ; being of a dry- 

 ing nature it is not used near the surface of the soil. The shoots are 

 again stopped at the third joint, the house is kept at a temperature 

 of 45° Fahrenheit for about ten days, and then allowed to fall to 

 40° or 42°, at which it is kept. The flues are damped two or three 

 times every night, to prevent the air from becoming too dry, and a 

 little top air is admitted whenever the weather is sufficiently favour- 

 able. 



About the middle of February, those plants which are intended 

 to be large specimen plants are shifted again into nine-inch pots, 

 those of vigorous growth will require a size larger. 



A small stick is now put to each stem to train them into uni- 

 form and well-shaped plants. In the beginning of April, when fires 

 are discontinued, the plants are syringed over the top three times a 

 week ; this is done about four o'clock, at the time the house is 

 closed, and continued during three or four weeks. The house is 

 well damped every evening, and the bottom and the top sashes 

 opened the first thing in the morning, to allow the damp air to 

 escape, and during the day all the air i3 admitted that can be given 

 with safety. 



The plants when beginning to bloom are freely watered, and pro- 

 tected from scorching rays of the sun during the middle of the day 

 by means of canvas ; and are thus retained in blossom a much longer 

 time than would be possible if this precaution were omitted. "When 

 the plants are housed, the decayed leaves are removed ; and when- 

 ever the green-fly makes its appearance, the house is well fumi- 

 gated; to do this effectually, it must be performed when the plants 

 •in- in a dry state, and they must be well watered the day follow- 

 ing. "When the flowering is over, the plants are exposed for about 

 a fortnight to the sun and air to harden the wood before being cut 

 down. Those plants which are intended as specimen plants the 

 nd season, after heading down, are placed in a sheltered situa- 

 tion where little water is given, and as soon as the new shoots are 

 :uj inch long, are npotted into pots from one to two sizes smaller; 

 fche old soil is Bhaken from the roots and good drainage given. The 



}>lants thus treated are kept in better health during the winter, from 

 laving less soil about the roots. When repotted, they are placed 



July. 14 



