126 THE amatetje's greenhouse 



delicate, and a light compost should he employed ; one con- 

 sisting of equal parts, fibrous loam, turfy peat, and leaf-mould, 

 and a moderate quantity of silver sand will suit them 

 admirably. The pots must be clean and well drained, and the 

 tubers buried about two inches below the surface. The size 

 of the pot must be regulated by the number of the tubers put 

 in each ; oue should be put in five-inch, two in six-inch, three 

 in eio-ht-iuch, and four in nine-inch pots, and the last men- 

 tioned is the largest size that should be employed. The soil 

 must be kept dry until they start into growth, and then suffi- 

 cient water applied to make the soil just moist, and no more ; 

 for very little water will be required until they have made 

 considerable progress. After February, when the trellis is 

 covered with foliage, more liberal supplies must be given, 

 and an occasional dose of weak liquid manure will be of con- 

 siderable service. 



The trellis should be fixed in the pots when the tubers are 

 newly potted, but if there are any reasons for not doing so, they 

 must be fixed in their proper position before the young growth 

 has attained a considerable length ; otherwise there is a great 

 danger of its becoming entangled, and probably it will be 

 seriously injured. 



The form of the trellis must he left to the taste of each cul- 

 tivator, and it is of little consequence in which way the growth 

 is trained, provided that it is nicely regulated, and not allowed 

 to run together in an inextricable mass. The subjoined figures 

 will explain themselves. A balloon is, perhaps, the most 

 desirable ; and when covered with the cheerful green foliage, 

 and dotted with the scarlet and yellow flowers, the efiect is 

 most satisfactory. Flat trellises are very well in their way, and 

 are the most suitable for windows or other positions where 



