97 



OBSERVATIONS 



GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF GREEN-HOUSE 

 PLANTS. 



Having already exceeded my limits, I am compelled to be 

 brief in my observations on sucli ornamental plants as are 

 generally cultivated in hot and green-houses. This descrip- 

 tion of plants embraces those which are collected from vari- 

 ous climates, and thrive best in a temperature and soil simi- 

 lar to that in which nature fiist produced them : hence those 

 who propagate exotic plants must provide suitable composts, 

 and also separate departments, where the different degrees 

 of heat may be kept up, according to their nature and 

 description. Some of these are raised from « seed sown m 

 the spring, others by layers, suckers, and offsets detached 

 from the old plants, and many by slips or cuttings, planted 

 at different seasons of the year, according to their various 

 natures and state of the plants. Many kinds require the aid 

 of glass coverings and bottom heat, created by fresh horse 

 dung, tan, &c. [See Calendar and Index.] 



Were I to attempt to give directions for the propagation 

 of all the varieties of useful and ornamental exotic plants 

 cultivated in various parts of our country, it would require 

 several volumes. The catalogue of green-house plants alone, 

 kept by the enterprising proprietor of the Linnaean Botanic 

 Garden, at Flushing, occupies fifty pages of close matter ; 

 it would, therefore, be impossible to do justice to the subject 

 without dividing upward of two thousand species of plants 

 into classes, and treating of them under distinct heads ; I 

 shall, therefore, not attempt in this edition to write largely 

 on the subject. 



