1 90 POT-CULTURE. 



situation is better than under a wall, for when 

 placed near a wall the branches always incline 

 from it, so that the plant, in lieu of being round 

 and compact, as it ought to be, becomes one-sided ; 

 in February following they may be pruned in 

 closely, i. e. to within two or three buds of the 

 base of each shoot, and remain plunged during 

 the summer ; additional vigour may be given by 

 removing the sawdust or tan from the surface of 

 the pots in March, and substituting rotten manure ; 

 during the summer all suckers must be carefully 

 removed, and in June, July, and August, all luxu- 

 riant shoots shortened, by pinching off their ends, 

 and superfluous shoots nipped in the bud ; so that 

 each plant is made to form a neat compact bush, 

 not too much crowded with shoots. If this is 

 properly attended to, they will scarcely require 

 pruning the following spring, but only a few of 

 the shoots thinned out, i. e. entirely removed. 

 These plants will require abundance of water in 

 dry hot weather in summer, and once a week in 

 June and July they should be watered with guario 

 water, 1 lb. to twenty gallons of water will be of 

 sufficient strength; if not placed on slates, the pots 

 must be removed once a fortnight, to prevent the 

 roots entering the soil underneath the pots, which 

 will give them much additional vigour : but the 

 check they receive when removed is very injurious ; 

 this must, therefore, be carefully guarded against. 

 The above treatment is also applicable to Moss and 



