March. J ROOMS REPOTTING 295 



healthy plants will continue to flower from December till 

 April. 



Be sure that there is a little air admitted at all favourable 

 opportunities. 



MARCH. 



If the plants in these situations have been properly at- 

 tended to by admitting air at all favourable times, and wheu 

 the apartment was below 40, a little fire heat applied to 

 counteract the cold, keeping the heat above that degree, your 

 attention will be rewarded by the healthy appearance of your 

 plants. The weather by this time has generally become 

 milder, so that air may be more freely admitted, especi- 

 ally from ten to three o'clock. They will require a more 

 liberal supply of water, but always avoid keeping them wet. 

 Pick off all decayed leaves, and tie up any straggling shoots ; 

 give the pots a top-dressing with fresh soil, which will greatly 

 invigorate the plants, and will allow the fresh air to act upon 

 the roots, which is one of the principal assistants in vegeta- 

 tion. For those that require shifting or repotting, see Green- 

 house, March; the plants enumerated there equally apply 

 here, if they are in the collection, with this difference, 

 that well-kept rooms are about two or three weeks earlier 

 than the green-house. After the end of this month, where 

 there is a convenience, plants will do better in windows that 

 look to the east, in which the direct rays of a hot sun are 

 prevented from falling upon them, and the morning sun is 

 more congenial for plants in this country than the afternoon 

 sun. Where there is any dust on the leaves of any of them, 

 take a sponge and water, and make the whole clean ; like- 

 wise divest them of all insects. The green-fly is perhaps on 

 the roses ; if there are no conveniences for fumigating, wash 

 them off as previously directed. Where there are only a 

 few plants, these pests could be very easily kept off by exa- 

 mining the plants every day. For the scaly insect, see Ja- 

 nuary. If they have not been cleared off, get it done di- 



