G R E 



G R E 



weather. When the plants are first housed, 

 they should have as much free air as the na- 

 ture of the season will admit, by opening the 

 windows every mild clay to iheir full extent; 

 and if the air is quite temperate, they may 

 remain open on nights for the first week ; but 

 in cold nights they should be constantly shut: 

 this work of admitting air must be constantly 

 attended to all winter ; for, without a due 

 portion of this essential article in mild wea- 

 ther, the plants soon loose their fine ver- 

 dure, and assume a sickly yellowish colour, 

 become diseased, and the young shoots, in 

 many sorts, grow mouldy and rot off, and the 

 leaves of the plants drop ; therefore, never omit, 

 every mild day, when not very damp or foggy, 

 to open some or all of the windows, little or 

 much, according as the air is more or less tem- 

 perate : the proper time during winter, for this, 

 is from about eight, nine, or ten in a morning, 

 till three, four, or five in the evening, accord- 

 ing to the mildness of the day : but as the days 

 lengthen, and the warm weather increases, give 

 more air in proportion, earlier and later in the 

 tlay, as may be judged proper, being careful al- 

 ways to shut all close in due time every evening, 

 as soon as the sharp air approaches. In foggy 

 weather it is advisable to keep the windows quite 

 close; for the great damps occasioned by fogs 

 are very pernicious to these plants whilst they 

 are confined in the house : also, when boisterous 

 or cold cutting winds blow towards the front 

 of the Green-house, the whole should be kept 

 shut ; or only, if thought necessary, some of the 

 upper sashes drawn down a little way at top, 

 above the reach of the wind rushing immedi- 

 ately upon the plants: likewise, in all frosty wea- 

 ther, the house should be kept close, except the 

 frost is moderate, and the middle of the day 

 sunny and warm, when some of the windows 

 may be opened a little, but shut close again 

 if the sun is clouded, and at any rate before the 

 air changes cold : in severe weather, the shut- 

 ters, &c. should be shut every night, also 

 occasionally on days when the frost is extreme- 

 ly rigorous, and no sun : and likewise, in such 

 weather, the assistance of fire-heat, as hereafter 

 directed may be necessary. As the spring ap- 

 proaches, and the weather grows warmer, en- 

 large the portion of air accordingly, admitting 

 it also both earlier in a morning and later in 

 the evening as the days lengthen ; for then the 

 plants will begin to assume a growing state, and 

 a considerable portion of air is requisite every 

 mild day, both to strengthen the new shoots and 

 inure the plants by degrees to the air, against 

 the time for removing them into it fully again 

 for the summer season. 



Watering will also be necessary to most of 

 the sorts, but must be afforded them as sparing- 

 ly as possible during the winter months, and 

 scarcely any should be given when the bouse is 

 obliged to be shut close through the severity of 

 the weather : there are no certain rules to be 

 given for the application of this ; some plants 

 require only a little water once a week, or ten 

 or twelve days in mild weather, such as the 

 orange- and lemon-trees, myrtles, oleanders, 

 shrubby-geraniums, and other woody kinds ; all 

 that is necessary being just to preserve the earth 

 very moderately moist ; the pots and tubs must 

 therefore be examined with proper attention, 

 and water given to such only as are in want. 

 The herbaceous kinds should be rather more 

 sparingly watered than the shrubby sorts; and 

 all the succulent tribe have water but seldom, 

 some not oftener than once a fortnight or three 

 week;, and that always but very sparingly at 

 each time ; and some that are very succulent 

 require but very little from November till March : 

 indeed all the succulents should only have it 

 now and then at this season, when the earth in 

 the pots becomes very dry. 



In performing the watering in general, be par- 

 ticularly careful to do it with great moderation 

 whilst the plants are in the green-bouse; as, if 

 you once over-wet the earth at this season, it 

 will remain so for a long time, and, by chilling 

 the tender fibres of the roots, often prove the 

 loss of the leaves of many of the plants, and 

 even the death of some sorts. On a sunny day, 

 from about eleven to two o'clock, is the proper 

 time for performing this business. 



Soft water, if possible, should be used, or 

 at least such as has been exposed to the air two 

 or three days. 



During frosty weather great attention is re- 

 quisite to keep all the windows close, night and 

 day, unless when very moderate, as just ob- 

 served, and the middle of the day is sunny and 

 warm; when some part of the house may be 

 opened a little for two or three hours, having 

 particular regard to shutting all close in due 

 time in the afternoon, before the air changes 

 to become sharply cold : and in very severe frosts 

 it must be kept close night and day ; and the 

 shutters, or other covers of canvass or mats, be 

 also used every night ; also occasionally in the 

 day-time, when the weather is intensely severe, 

 and no sun appears, and there are no flues for 

 fires to keep out the frost. The shutters or 

 other shelters, besides the glasses, should how- 

 ever be used as little as possible in the day-time, 

 except in cases of particular necessity, as every 

 opportunity ought to be taken for the admission 

 of light and fresh air, as much as thetempera- 

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