II.] THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 59 



on experience, that holes have been made in the 

 bottom of flower-pots. The uses of pans, are, 

 first, to prevent the water from running about the 

 places where pots are placed ; and next to hold the 

 water up to a level with the roots, in hot situations, 

 a little longer than it would otherwise remain up to 

 that level. See paragraph 21. 



111. As to the mere operation of sowing, or 

 planting, things in pots, though a simple operation 

 enough, some little attention to method is necessa- 

 ry. Your mould always ought to be^me, and even 

 tiffed, if convenient; for, when the quantity is to 

 be reckoned by gallons, the labour cannot be great ; 

 and the desire to possess green-house plants neces- 

 sarily implies pleasure, rather than pain, in employ- 

 ing the means to obtain them. In order to make 

 myself clearly understood, I shall suppose an in- 

 stance of sowing and one of planting. 



112. Suppose you have the seeds of Stocks to 

 sow. Put earth into the pot enough to fill it to 

 within an inch of the top, and make the top of the 

 earth very smooth. Then scatter your seeds upon 

 it, and not too thickly. Then crumble some earth 

 over the seeds to the depth of about half an inch. 

 Make the top very smooth again. Then take the 

 pot in your two hands, and give five or six gentle 

 taps with the bottom of the pot upon the ground, 

 or upon a block, or some solid thing. This settles 

 the earth down ; and it needs no pressing at the 

 top, nor any other thing done to it. After this 

 settling, the top of the earth should be about an 

 inch lower than the top of the pot ; else you could 

 not, when necessary, give water ; for the water 

 Mould run off, there being no place to hold it. 



113. Suppose you have a Geranium to plant, 

 which has been raised from a cutting, and the root 



