THE CULTURE AND 



is not an easy question to answer, because con- 

 ditions vary so much. Here, as in other de- 

 partments of plant-culture, I would advise an 

 adherence to the only rule which has, so far, 

 been found safe to follow: When the surface 

 of the soil looks dry, water, and give enough 

 to thoroughly saturate all the soil in the pot; 

 then wait until the soil looks dry again before 

 giving more. There can be no definite time 

 named, for at some seasons of the year evap- 

 oration is rapid, at other times slow. The con- 

 dition of the plant will have a good deal to do 

 with watering. If growing, it will need a 

 good deal more water than if dormant. The 

 owner of the plant must study it, and thus 

 enable herself to do the right thing for it at 

 the right time and in the right way. It is an 

 easy thing to lay down a set of general rules, 

 but every plant-grower will find that these 

 rules must be constantly modified to fit condi- 

 tions, and that conditions vary so much that 

 each person must be governed by a nice sense 

 of discrimination and good judgment. Good 

 judgment can only come from a knowledge of 

 the requirements of the plant you cultivate and 

 a familiarity with the results which follow the 

 doing of this or that thing. In brief, the suc- 



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