Oft the Culiivaiioii of the Pansy. 307 



tolerably dry state. Now this will obviate the necessity of 

 shaking the mould from the roots, which plan would be 

 preferable to making use of soil differing from that which 

 the plants had originally grown in. A part of the soil should 

 be shifted, and that which Avill not pass through the sieve 

 mix with as much rotten manure, and place a little of the 

 latter on the drainage, which should be good. The pot 

 should then be filled sufficiently to receive the plant. 



When repotting, remove the top part and exterior of the 

 ball of earth from the plants, which has generally become 

 sour, and shake them down firmly by striking the pot on the 

 bench ; but they are not to be pressed so hard by the hand 

 as when potting carnations. Finish with the fine sifted 

 mould on the top, this will secure perfect drainage, and give 

 the pots a much neater appearance. Water sparingly for a 

 fortnight or three weeks, and then only when the weather is 

 mild. Give all the air possible, as before, and keep the 

 plants close to the glass. Turn the plants round occasion- 

 ally ; in fact, do every thing that will help to keep them 

 dwarf, and of a dark-green color. Fumigate if greenfly 

 appears on the plants, which will not be the case should the 

 weather be such that the lights can often be drawn quite 

 back. The surface of the soil will require scratching over 

 as often as it has become hard from watering. Top-dress 

 the pot with rotten manure, mixed with a little loam, about 

 the last week in 



MARCH. 



This is often a trying month for pansies. March winds, 

 accompanied with frost, frequently destroy more plants than 

 the rest of winter. Therefore at this time we counsel pro- 

 tection in severe weather. We by no means recommend 

 such covering as would make them tender, and cause them 

 to start into growth out of season. As they will naturally 

 commence growing early in this month, greater vigilance 

 must be observed to cover the plants at the approach of frost, 

 if early bloom is required, as the buds will suffer in a very 

 young state. 



Those to succeed the first bloom should now be planted 

 out from the store pots, in beds that have been ridged up all 

 the winter. 



