CHAPTER XI 



Greenhouse and Window-Garden Work 



Greenhouse production has now passed beyond the stage of exclusive 

 amateurism, and has become a recognized form of agriculture. It is 

 farming under glass. The area is small, but the investment is high and 

 the skill is great. 



Greenhouse Practice 



Potting earth. 



Loam (decomposed sod), leaf-mold, rotted farm-yard manure, peat, 

 and sand afford the main requirement of the plants most commonlj'' 

 cultivated. Seedlings, and young stock generally, are best suited by a 

 light mixture, such as one part each of loam, leaf-mold, and sand in 

 equal parts. The older plants of vigorous growth like a rich, heavy 

 compost, formed of equal parts of loam and manure ; and a sandy, 

 lasting soil, made up of two parts each of peat and loam to one part of 

 sand, is the most desirable for slow-growing sorts. A little lumpy 

 charcoal should be added to the compost for plants that are to remain 

 any great length of time, say a year, in the same pot. The best condi- 

 tion of soil for potting is that intermediate state between wet and dry. 

 Sphagnum (moss), or fibrous peat and sphagnum in mixture and 

 chopped, should be used for orchids and other plants of similar epiphytal 

 character. 



Cow-dung is highly prized by many gardeners for use in potting soil. 

 It is stored under cover and allowed to remain until dry, being turned 

 several times in the meantime to pulverize it. Manure water is made 

 either from this dried excrement or from the fresh material. When 

 made from the fresh material, the manure- water should be made weaker 

 than in the other case. 



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