212 The Flower Garden [Chapter 



soil, and should be resorted to whenever there is 

 any suspicion of this, or when the earth in which 

 tender or succulent-stemmed plants are growing 

 seems hard and will not take water readily. The 

 Amaryllis objects to this disturbance, and hard- 

 wooded plants, which require firm potting, should 

 not be disturbed by more than the merest scratching 

 of the surface. 



Give support to such plants as need it, promptly; 

 failure in this respect may result in the loss of a cher- 

 ished blossom, or the disfigurement of a plant. 



Pinch back all weak and straggling growths, trim- 

 ming the plants to grow stocky and symmetrical. 



Avoid, as far as possible, a sudden change of tem- 

 perature, as a sudden chill will greatly injure some 

 plants, though they may not be actually frozen. 

 Plants may be left in the window as long as the glass 

 is not frosted, but at the slightest appearance of frost 

 they must be moved back out of actual contact with 

 the glass. The thermometer drops suddenly at times, 

 and plants that were considered quite safe at night 

 may be found frozen in the morning. When the ther- 

 mometer in the window indicates a safe temperature 

 and that outside a stationary one, though very low, the 

 plants may be left where they are ; but beware of fall- 

 ing temperature, and protect with several thicknesses 

 of newspaper between the plants and the window, 

 bringing it well out beyond the window-frames. All 

 cracks between the sash and casing should be carefully 



