TEMPERATURE All- MOISTURE. 59 



and Lantana, root in a bottom heat of seventy-five de- 

 grees, with atmospheric temperature of sixty-five degrees, 

 in tea days ; at twenty degrees lower they will not root 

 at all, but will perish. Although cuttings and plants of 

 a more hardy nature will root in some conditions of growth 

 at this temperature, yet we prefer, to insure plants of 

 vigorous health, that Verbenas, Carnations, Geraniums, 

 Roses, etc., be rooted in a temperature at least ten de- 

 grees lower, both in bottom heat and temperature of the 

 house. 



The subject is one that relates to so many varieties and 

 different conditions of organization at the different seasons 

 of growth, that it is impossible to convey to the inexperi- 

 enced what these varieties and conditions are ; but my 

 object is to impress upon young or inexperienced readers 

 what I have long believed to be an important truth that 

 the supplying the proper conditions of temperature to 

 plants under glass, according to their different natures 

 and conditions, has as much, or more, to do with their 

 welfare, than any other cause ; and that often when ascrib- 

 ing the unhealthy state of a plant to uncongenial soil or 

 defective drainage, or tha " damping off " of some favorite 

 cutting, to the way it was cut, or the sand in which it 

 was put, the true and sole cause of the failure was 

 nothing more than condemning the plant or the cutting 

 to an atmosphere uncongenial to its nature. 



Thus far, we mainly allude to temperature. Serious 

 injury is often done to plants from a want of, or excess of, 

 moisture. The old gardener with whom my first essay in 

 gardening was made, used to define the difference in dry- 

 ness in plants as " dry " and " killing dry " " dry " was 

 the proper condition that the plant should be in, when 

 water was applied, the surface indicating dryness by be- 

 coming lighter, but no flagging or wilting ; but woe 

 betide the unfortunate that allowed a plant in charge to 

 become in the condition of "killing dry;" this, in his 



