January.'] ROOMS watering, etc. 291 



to the tribi' of Cactii, which are varied, beautiful, and truly 

 interesting, and grow admirably in dry rooms, with or without 

 full exposure to the sun, and in any temperature from 45 

 to 85, requiring only small portions of water once a week in 

 winter, and twice or thrice a week during summer : they 

 also only require fresh soil once a year, or even once in 

 two years for large plants will be found sufficient. The 

 variety now cultivated is truly astonishing, and we doubt not 

 but in a few years large horticultural buildings will be 

 erected for their express culture; and, to the inexperienced 

 amateur, there is not a family of plants that will give mor? 

 satisfaction, or, when properly studied, will afford greater 

 interest and amusement. 



JANUARY. 



Plants that are kept in rooms generally are such as re- 

 quire a medium temperature, say from 40 to 60. Sitting- 

 rooms or parlours, about this season, are, for the most part, 

 heated from 60 to 70, and very seldom has the air any 

 admittance into these apartments; thus keeping the tempera- 

 ture from 10 to 15 higher than the nature of the plants 

 requires, and excluding that fresh air which is requisite to 

 support a vegetative principle. Therefore, as far as practi- 

 cable, let the plants be kept in a room adjoining to one where 

 there is fire heat, and the intervening door can be opened 

 when desirable. They will admit sometimes of being as low 

 as 38. 



If they be constantly kept where there is fire, let the win- 

 dow be open some inches, once a day, for a few minutes, 

 thereby making the air of the apartment more congenial, both 

 for animal and vegetable nature. 



watering, lto. 



All that is necessary is merely to keep the soil in a moist 

 state, that is, do not let it get so dry that you can divide the 

 particles of earth, nor so wet that they could be beat to clay 



