46 GARDENING B Y MYSELF. 



the plant. Draw out your stick gently, fill 

 up the pot to within a half inch of the top, 

 strike it lightly on the table to '' firm " the 

 earth, water slowly and moderately ; and 

 then if the earth has sunk away too much, 

 add more. Keep your seedling for a few 

 days *' warm and close," the florists say, un- 

 til it is '' established ;" then give it plenty of 

 sunshine, and air by degrees, turning your 

 plant often, lest it should not be '.' of a round 

 mind." And do not forget to fill up the hole 

 in the seed-pan bed, with a spoonful of fresh 

 earth. 



In all my talk about plants in pots, I be- 

 lieve I have said nothing of the insects 

 which sometimes trouble them, — partly, in- 

 deed, because I almost forgot their exist- 

 ence. In our cool, fresh rooms, with open 

 fires and plenty of air, the plants enjoy 

 themselves much better than the insects; 

 and I rarely see one. But in close, stove- 

 heated houses, the advantage is all the oth- 

 er way. 



Almost everybody who has had a few roses 



