NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 179 



then in sufficient quantity to moisten the whole of the soil 

 not dribbling a few drops over the plants to-day to prevent 

 them from being dry to-morrow, a practice too much followed 

 with plants in pots. 



Continue to pinch off any premature flowers that may 

 appear ; keep the pots free from weeds, and far enough 

 asunder to prevent the plants from being crowded, and when 

 they are removed to Winter quarters set them near the glass 

 in an airy situation. Plants treated in this manner will form 

 nice bushy plants and will flower through the Winter months. 



Advantages of Budding. Budding, when done 

 properly, is not without its advantages to the propagator. 

 For instance, there are some trees that propagate more 

 readily by budding than by grafting, although budded trees 

 may be later in producing fruit than those that are grafted. 

 But when a tree is rare, every eye may produce a plant, 

 which cannot be done by means of grafts ; or when a graft 

 may fail in Spring, a bud can be applied in Summer. Fruits 

 may be improved by working one kind upon another; 

 and it is a well known fact that the double yellow rose, 

 which is so difficult to grow in many places, does well when 

 budded upon the common China rose. Seedling fruit trees 

 are often a long time in bearing, but by means of budding 

 they will bear fruit much sooner than by any other method. 

 Advantage should, then, be taken of this mode of improving 

 our fruits and flowers. 



The Drainage of Pots. The successful cultivation 

 of plants in pots depends in a great measure upon the 

 proper placing of the materials employed in potting. The 

 first condition essential to success is perfect drainage ; if 

 water-logged, no plant can continue long in a healthy state, 

 whether it be in a pot or in the open ground. The first 

 thing to observe in potting is to place two pieces of broken 

 potsherds over the hole in the bottom of the pot. Arrange 

 them so that they may lie side by side. These pieces should 

 have a slightly concave form, and the concave sides should 

 be placed downwards ; this will enable the water to pass off 

 freely. The next point is, the best kind of material to use 

 above these pieces, and this is broken pots. For very small 

 plants these may be reduced to the size of peas, but they 

 should be increased in proportion to the size of the pots. 



