254 THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



"ive a good watering, and replace them in their old situation, keep- 

 ing them close for a day or two. In shifting, he careful not to 

 break the ball, for if that is done it is a long time before the plants 

 recover, and then it is ten to one if ever they make fine specimens. 



In potting, I drain well and place some moss (sphagnum) over 

 the crocks, then some of the roughest of the compost, which (after 

 the January shift) consists of one part silver sand, two parts turfy 

 or fibry peat, and one part dry cow-dung, all well mixed together 

 with the spade, and used without sifting. 



When I resided near London, I used mould from Wimbledon 

 Common with as good success as the above mixture, but as yet I 

 have found no such mould to equal that in this locality. As the 

 season advances, I pot rather firmly, and I find it a very good plan 

 to put some of the moss on the top of the soil ; when potted, the 

 roots seem quite at home in it, and it prevents the mould from being 

 washed over the pot. I use rain water both for the soil and for 

 sprinkling the plants overhead with. In the latter operation I am 

 guided by the weather, and in the former by the wants of the plant. 

 I also water about once a week with manure-water, not over-strong. 

 I train on the single stem system, allowing them to branch out 

 right and left, never pinching the side-shoots back, except when one 

 seems to take the lead of the others. By following these directions, 

 I am certain that every success will attend your labours. 



THE SEED OP EUNNER BEANS. 



AEE should be taken in saving the seed of runner beans, 

 for it generally degenerates very much with those who 

 save it from year to year, the usual practice being 

 merely to trust those pods for seed which happen to 

 escape in the picking. To preserve this seed properly, 

 a few runners should be especially reserved for seed, and left un- 

 touched, as the first pods formed are generally the finest, and they 

 get well ripened before the season closes ; whereas if the first pods 

 are used for the table, it is only the later that can be used for seed, 

 and these are never so good as the first. Hence the seed gets 

 smaller every year, and the plants cease to be so prolific or to pro- 

 duce such good pods. 



REMINDERS EOR GARDEN WOEK IN AUGUST. 



EAKTSEASE.— Still propagate by cuttings, and plant out seedlings. 

 Pelabgonitms that have been in may be taken out of their large 

 pots, root pruned, and put into smaller. 



Pinks. — Plant out the struck pipings into nursery beds for 

 moving, or into their permanent beds for flowering ; rich loam and 

 dung will make the best soil. 



