Calendar of Monthly Operations. 123 



appear from below, and the terminal bud on each one of these 

 shoots will produce fine blooms. All plants should be put into 

 the pots in which they are to bloom this month, and the tying, 

 watering, syringing and looking after the insects all closely at- 

 tended to. Specimen plants should be set a suitable distance 

 apart, and plunged about two thirds the depth of the pots into 

 coal ashes or other material that will prevent the influence of 

 the sun from reaching them and drying them out. Plants 

 which are to bloom in November should not be stopped after 

 this month ; such varieties as Grandiflorum should not be stop- 

 ped after the first of the month. Syringe the plants occasion- 

 ally with quassia water. Do not pot and stop the plants at 

 the same time, as each repotting at once sets the roots into 

 active growth, and the growth of the top is checked for a 

 time. Wait until you see signs of renewed growth, after re- 

 potting, before you begin to stop. Cuttings can be rooted 

 this month, but do not root as readily as in spring. Young 

 plants started now make pretty objects for the pit or conserva- 

 tory late in November and will bloom freely in four-inch pots. 



AUGUST. 



No potting will need to be done this month. The work 

 will include a constant attention to watering chiefly, together 

 with staking and top-dressing. Such varieties as E. H. Fit- 

 ler, Mrs. W. K. Harris and Mrs. Alpheus Hardy are better 

 indoors. A mulch of sheep or cow manure may be given this 

 month on the tops of the pots during hot weather. If the 

 pots are too full of soil to admit of a sufficient dressing, the 

 manure can be banked up around the edge of the pot so as to 

 preserve a basin on top to hold the water. About the end of 

 this month the flower buds will begin to appear at the end of 

 the strong young shoots. Beneath each terminal bud will be 

 noticed three or four prominent buds growing from the axils 

 of the leaves, immediately beneath the flower bud. These 

 side shoots, if allowed to remain, would draw considerably 



