TIMELY TOPICS FOR THE AMATEUR-XVIII. 



OUTINE work such as watering, 

 staking- and tying, will be the prin- 

 cipal features demanding attention 

 ^^c|j^ on the lawn or in the garden during 

 August. The first mentioned duty is one 

 that presents itself in a very serious aspect 

 sometimes to those who have even a small 

 collection of pot plants, especially where 

 there is not an abundance of water near at 

 hand. 



It may also happen perhaps that those, 

 who wish to have a few days' vacation away 

 from home, are in a quandary what to do 

 with their collection of pot plants whilst they 

 are away. A word or two on the latter sub- 

 ject may perhaps be in season, and useful to 

 readers of the Journal. 



There is no better plan for economising 

 both the supply of water and the care re- 

 quired by pot plants in summer than by 

 plunging the pots wholly or partially in soil, 

 coal ashes or sand. 



The word " plunging " being a profession- 

 al term it may perhaps not be understood by 

 some of our readers. It consists merely in 

 burying the pot wholly or partially in one or 

 other of the materials before mentioned. 

 Many pot plants that make their growth 



in summer ready for winter flowering pur- 

 poses, succeed best plunged out of doors in 

 summer. Geraniums, stevias, genistas, 

 violets, azaleas, etc., are usually treated in 

 this way early in July, as the cold damp 

 earth, or similar material around the outside 

 of the pot, excludes the hot dry air and pre- 

 vents rapid evaporation of the moisture 

 around the roots of the plants, thus stimu- 

 lating the plants with growth almost as well 

 as if they were planted in the open ground. 

 This class of plants however are only plung- 

 ed deep enough so that the rim of the pot is 

 just visible above the material they are 

 plunged in. This allows of water being ap- 

 plied to their roots without waste in using it, 

 as well as allowing a mulch of any kind to 

 be placed around the plants for fertilization 

 or other purposes. It is an easy matter to 

 lift these plants in the fall into the house or 

 greenhouse without in any way disturbing 

 their roots or checking the growth of the 

 plant. It maybe necessary perhaps once or 

 twice during the season to lift the pots up 

 an inch or two from their positions, and give 

 them a twist, so as to prevent the roots from 

 penetrating too deeply through the drain- 

 age into the soil beneath. All strong grow- 



