THE ART OF POTTING 113 



you shift Geraniums which thrive best in a heavy soil. A dormant 

 Rose can stand all the pounding the pot will allow, as well as a 

 heavy soil or loam, and the same pounding is in order in shifting a 

 palm. But tender-rooted cuttings require a rather light sandy soil 

 and more careful handling. 



Common sense is always a good thing to employ in potting. 



CROP ROTATION AND ITS RESULTS 



You cannot pay too much attention to crop rotation in greenhouse manage- 

 ment. There, with the steady increase in cost of production, it becomes 

 more necessary than ever to make every foot of space count. 



FOR the average retail grower, there are two principal crops that 

 can be produced in an establishment. The main one is Spring 

 stock which, to a large extent, consists of bedding plants and all 

 that goes with them. The other is the late Fall crop consisting of 

 Chrysanthemums, Christmas plants and Carnations, all of which 

 are out of the way again in time for the Spring stock. However, 

 there are also catch or fill-in crops, which, if properly handled, will 

 bring in returns without interfering much with the others. It is 

 these that deserve careful planning. 



The object should be to avoid empty bench space and also to 

 have the benches filled with plants which either do not really require 

 so much space or which don't bring in returns. For instance, you 

 cannot afford to have a cut-down bench of Chrysanthemums lie 

 empty until wanted, two or three months afterward, for small 

 Geraniums; nor should such a bench be filled with a crop that 

 will be in the way of bedding plants later on. You cannot set down 

 a rule suitable for all. In fact, there are hardly ever two establish- 

 ments which could to best advantage be treated alike. It means 

 that each grower must figure out a method best suited to the running 

 of his own affairs; but we can, at least, suggest methods which will 

 help to properly arrange matters. 



THE USE OF A COLDHOUSE 



Those who have sufficient bench space to avoid carrying a lot 

 of stock below the benches are well off. The smaller retail grower, 

 however, can often use the latter space to great advantage. Next 

 of importance is a coldhouse where plants may be kept in a dormant 

 state ready to follow a crop that is getting through in another house; 

 or in which such stock as potted Roses, Hydrangeas and the like 

 can be allowed to come along slowly and are better off than in 

 warmer quarters. Frames outdoors with glass protection are of 

 great value, especially in the Fall and early Spring, for the reason 

 that you can keep there stock that does not require a bench, or 



