14 WESTERN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



have the pot well drained with a few pieces of broken crocks, 

 thus to insure good drainage. You will then not have to be 

 so particular in watering- as the over supply of water will 

 drain away quickly. 



Another important thing- is the over-potting- of plants, 

 that is the potting- of very small plants into very large pots. 

 This ought never to be done, as it involves much more labor 

 in finding out whether the plants need water or not. The 

 safest plan is the repeated repotting of a plant from one pot 

 to one a little larger. Plants potted in this way 'will grow 

 better and are easier managed and are better in every way. 

 The right time to move a plant from a small pot to a larger 

 one is shown by the roots beginning to mat around the out- 

 side of the ball that is next to the edge of the pot. It is 

 almost amusing to see some amateurs start to repot plants. 

 I have known them to take a knife and insert it all around 

 the pot and thus scoop the plant out. Another favorite way 

 is to break the pot with a hammer. I expect some of our 

 lady friends do this who no doubt know well how to turn a 

 pudding or jelly out of a mould, but who, I expect, have 

 never given it a thought that the ball of earth enveloping 

 the roots of a plant could be turned out of a pot in the same 

 way. In most cases a slight tap of the pot on the edge of a 

 table is quite sufficient to turn out the ball of earth. 



