168 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



how begin to show symptoms of collapse. The Geranium 

 leaves, that looked so green and well, are now soft and 

 flabby. The Rose-buds, that held up their heads with 

 pride, now look abashed and hang down. 



This state of affairs continues : from the leaves being 

 simply wilted they begin to get yellow and shrivel up ; by 

 ten days, many of the plants have died outright, and the 

 remainder are in a sad looking condition, that is dis- 

 heartening to the owner. 



No other result than this will ever be obtained with 

 plants treated in this manner. When florists wish to lift 

 plants of this nature in fall, two-thirds of the shoots are 

 usually cut off, and the plants put through a course of treat- 

 ment to induce them to strike new roots, that it is hardly 

 ever in the power of the amateur to apply ; but even though 

 we succeed in saving the plants, it is almost always at 

 the expense of the bloom, for few plants can be lifted in 

 bloom in October from the open ground and continue to 

 blossom throughout the winter. Now, having pointed 

 out the errors, I will show the way to succeed in obtain- 

 ing healthy plants that will grow and bloom freely in 

 winter, provided they are supplied with the necessary 

 moisture and heat. All plants that are intended for house 

 plants in winter, when set out in May, should be first 

 placed in pots, 6 or 7 inches in diameter. These pots 

 should be planted, or, as we term it, "plunged" to the 

 rim, or level with the surface ; thus they are almost in the 

 same condition as if they had been planted without the 

 pot, only the roots are confined inside of the pot, so that 

 when the plant is lifted in fall there is no mutilation of the 

 roots, as must always of necessity be the case when the 

 plant is put in the open ground, as the roots ramify in 

 all directions. One caution, however, is necessary : the 

 hole in the bottom of the pot must be effectually stopped 

 up so that the roots cannot strike through, or the pot 

 should be turned around two or three times during the 



