300 BEAUTIFUL FLOWEKS 



should be made quite firm by pressing the base in with a blunt 

 stick. 



It will expedite rooting if the pots containing the suckers can 

 be placed together in a warm greenhouse and covered with a hand- 

 light. They root more quickly when kept close in this way than 

 when exposed to the air, as evaporation from the leaves is checked, 

 and the less of this that goes on until roots have formed to supply 

 fresh moisture the better it is for the prospects of success. Of 

 course, it is not absolutely necessary that air exclusion should be 

 effected by means of a handlight. We mention this as a stock 

 article specially made for the purpose. But many amateurs will 

 make shift with contrivances of their own. One may enlist the 

 sympathies of his wife, and borrow the spare tumblers. Another 

 will make an enclosure by placing four squares of glass on edge, 

 covering them with a fifth, and pasting strips of paper along the 

 unions. A handlight (or a large bell glass if there are only a few 

 pots to cover) is the most convenient, because it can be lifted and 

 wiped if moisture condenses on it. If the soil is moist when the 

 suckers are inserted it will probably not need watering until they 

 are rooted, but it must not be allowed to get parched. 



Directly growth begins water may be supplied, because it is 

 certain that there will be roots ready to imbibe moisture, but over- 

 watering should be guarded against. Moreover, the covering may 

 be removed and air permitted to reach the plants. From this point 

 they should have a position close to the roof glass of the house, in 

 order to keep them sturdy, and air should be given whenever the 

 weather is fine, but cold draughts should be avoided. 



The plants will need transference to larger pots as soon as 

 they have filled the small ones with roots, and may be shifted from 

 3-inch to 5-inch. Those inserted round the side of large pots 

 should be placed singly in small ones directly they have grown 

 sufficiently to begin crowding each other. 



In a greenhouse the temperature of which does not fall below 



