73 



hence, the very great advantage of the contrivance 

 just described. As the pips expand, the smallest, 

 least perfect, and over-crowded ones must be carefully 

 thinned out, leaving a truss of five, seven, or nine. 

 When in full bloom, the plants may be removed to 

 any other situation the grower may fancy, as, for ex- 

 ample, to a cool, airy greenhouse, where their beauties 

 can be conveniently seen and examined. (Johnson s 

 DicL of Modern Gardening .) 



The blossoms must not only be protected from the 

 rains, but also from the mid-day sun, by a covering 

 of calico oiled, or treated with Whitney's composi- 

 tion. Notwithstanding this, you must still shut 

 them up close at night, and even cover them with an 

 additional mat, to prevent the blossoms being checked 

 or injured by the frost. This is the critical time that 

 requires the most particular care. As this flower 

 produces more pips and blossoms than can expand at 

 one time, it is necessary, at the beginning or so of 

 this month, to cut out, with great care, the interior 

 or middle pips, reserving not fewer than seven, nor 

 more than thirteen ; they should be taken out two 

 or three at a time, and it requires some taste to per- 

 form this operation well, that the blossoms which are 

 left may grow in a regular equidistant form, so that 

 such thinning of the pips shall not appear to have 

 taken place, but that they had naturally grown in 

 that form, and with that number. By thus timely 



