74 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



tain sub-sections, the treatment of which does not 

 require special notice. Show Pelargoniums are very 

 useful for flowering in the early summer. Old plants 

 may be grown on year after year, the treatment being 

 to remove the plants from the greenhouse directly they 

 have flowered, putting them in a sunny spot in the open 

 air and lessening the water supply gradually until, by 

 the end of July, the wood is well ripened and the 

 roots are quite dry. Cut back almost close to the base 

 of the young wood, and stand in a frame so that rain 

 may be kept off the plants, but expose to all fine 

 weather. Sprinkle the stems daily, but do not water 

 the soil until new shoots are appearing freely, and even 

 then in only sufficient quantity to keep them plump. 

 When an inch of new growth has been made, turn the 

 plants out of the pots, cut away the longest roots and 

 reduce the ball of soil to about half its size, then repotting 

 firmly in a smaller pot that only allows a little room 

 for new soil. The soil used should be fibrous loam 

 that has been stacked for some months, and this should be 

 pulled into fairly small pieces and mixed with about one- 

 fourth of well decayed manure and a good sprinkling 

 of silver sand. Return the plants to the frame and 

 keep them there with their heads close to the glass, 

 water carefully, and afford only the very lightest of 

 shading in bright weather. Remove to a light shelf 

 in the greenhouse when late autumn fogs set in, and 

 keep the roots on the dry side. In December, pot 

 into the flowering pots, which need not be over large, 

 and which must not in any case exceed by more than 

 two sizes those in which they have been growing. 

 Most of these plants make more shoots than are 

 required after pruning, and some of the weaker ones 

 should be rubbed off, but any that do not make 

 sufficient to begin with will do so if their points are 

 pinched out in February j this, of course, somewhat 



