68 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



CHAPTER XII. 

 DRAINAGE IN POTS. 



Many years ago, in some of my first writings on the 

 subject of drainage in pots, I admit to having taken 

 rather too radical ground against the practice, because, 

 in those days, almost everybody used to " crock "or drain 

 the very smallest pots. The absurdity of this soon be- 

 came apparent to me, as I found that, with hardly an 

 exception, for plants in pots up to the size of four inches, 

 it was worse than useless to drain ; and as all my prac- 

 tice, up to that time, had been with pots but little larger 

 than four inches, I rather rashly jumped to the conclusion 

 that, in our warm, dry atmosphere, the European prac- 

 tice of crocking all sizes of flower pots might be wholly 

 dispensed with here ; but added experience showed that 

 even in our dry atmosphere, flower-pots of five inches in 

 diameter and upward, in which are grown Roses or other 

 plants with roots sensitive to moisture, had better be 

 crocked or drained, particularly if to be grown in winter. 

 It is not pleasant to admit an error, particularly when 

 promulgated in print for the "instruction" of others; 

 but it is better to make what amend is possible, by making 

 the acknowledgment, than to continue to stick to opin- 

 ions before given, when there is reason to believe these 

 were formed in error. 



DRAINING IN FLOWER POTS. If the pots are over five 

 inches in diameter, charcoal broken into pieces from one- 

 half to one inch in diameter, I prefer to every other kind 

 of drainage ; this should be in depth from one inch to 

 four inches, according to the size of the pot to be drained, 

 an extra quantity being necessary if the plant is being 

 shifted into a pot too large ; then ample drainage is indis- 



