AMERICAN GARDENER. 65 



hell, or broken earthen ware, the earth keeps 

 hollow, and the water creeps under the edges of 

 it, and thus escapes into the pan, whence it eva- 

 porates. In fields, we always desire an open 

 under -soil ; and, in a rainy season, you will see 

 the crops stunted and looking yellow, where there 

 is a bottom of clay, while, at the very same time, 

 a bottom of sand, gravel, lime stone, or other 

 open matter, exhibits them green and flourishing. 

 It is upon this principle, founded on experience, 

 that holes have been made in the bottom of 

 flower-pots. The uses of pans are, first, to pre- 

 vent 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, of 

 planting, things in pots, though a simple opera- 

 tion enough, some little attention to method is 

 necessary. Your mould always ought to beyfoe, 

 and even sifted, if convenient ; for, when the 

 quantity is to be reckoned by gallons, the la- 

 bour cannot be great ; and, the desire to possess 

 green-house plants necessarily implies pleasure, 

 rather than pain, in employing the means to ob- 

 tain them. In order to make myself clearly un- 

 derstood, I shall suppose an instance 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 

 som " earth over the seeds to the depth of about 



6* \ 





