412 On the Autumn treatment of Green-house Plants. 



diately after getting in their plants, and during the early part 

 of the autumn, without paying due attention to out-door tem- 

 perature. 



And, finally, fires are applied before they are absolutely re- 

 quired, (which ought not to be,) and kept on constantly, with- 

 out reference to moderate changes in the latter part of fall, and 

 early winter. 



The result of the above course of treatment is, the plants 

 have the appearance of early spring, at the setting in of winter, 

 from premature excitement; and are in a much worse state for 

 getting through the winter, than they would be under a differ- 

 ent mode of management. The young and tender shoots, and 

 foliage, are much quicker and easier affected by a sudden fall 

 of temperature. Consequently, it will be necessary to keep 

 up, at all times, a higher temperature, to guard against such 

 sudden changes, and, by so doing, it will be making bad worse, 

 by exciting the already too much excited and drawn up plants 

 into an exhausted and feeble state, totally unfit for the produc- 

 tion of flowers during winter, &c. 



Some reason by saying they pursue the above course, to 

 have flowers in winter; but the very reverse is the case. It 

 is true they may have a few flowers the latter part of the fall 

 and early in December: but about New Year's, and during the 

 months of January and February, flowers are out of the ques- 

 tion, from the very fact, that the plants are in a too weak and 

 drawn up state to develop their flowers, in the confined atm.os- 

 phere that they necessarily will have to endure, during the ex- 

 treme cold of these months. 



To obviate the above results, I would with great confidence 

 recommend the following simple directions. 



In place of huddling all the plants indiscriminately into the 

 green-house, on the first appearance of a cold night, in Septem- 

 ber, select out the more tender plants to be taken in doors or 

 under cover somewhere. For small plants, a cold frame is the 

 best place when the lights can be taken off by day, and night 

 too, when moderate; and so keep selecting out from time to 

 time, as the season advances, the most tender among those that 

 remain, until finally the time arrives for the final arrangement 

 of the green-house, when every thing must be in its place. I 

 have found, for the last four years, the middle of October soon 

 enough for this neighborhood^ for the most hardy inmates of 

 the green-house, such as roses, myrtles, lauristinus, &c.; of 



