64 OPERATIONS OF GARDENING. PART I. 



plants be dug up from the border to be potted, they require 

 some little attention to be paid to them afterwards, on account 

 of the injury almost of necessity done to their roots. The best 

 plan is to put them, as soon as potted, in a dark room or 

 godown during the day, and bring them out into the open air 

 at night. By this mode of treatment they will m6stly recover 

 themselves in two or three days. 



Plants, again, that are purchased of native nurserymen or 

 dealers, are nearly always delivered with their roots kneaded 

 up in a ball of dense, clayey kind of earth. If the plants be 

 potted in this condition, just as received, it will probably be 

 many months before the roots will be able to overcome such 

 impediment to their free growth. The only way that I know 

 of removing this dense clayey ball, without in the least injuring 

 the roots, is to immerse it in a vessel of water. In about an 

 hour's time it will dissolve and loosen away, and upon the plant 

 being gently shaken, leave the roots quite free and clean. The 

 plant should then, without a moment's delay, be potted care 

 being taken to press the soil close round the roots, and then to 

 supply a copious watering. The plant should be removed to a 

 dark room, to be kept there during the day, and put out at 

 night, till found that it can bear the light without flagging. 



In preparing a pot to receive a plant, the first thing to do is 

 to put; in it broken pieces of potsherd, charcoal, or some such 

 material, to the height of full an inch and a half for the purpose 

 of drainage. Care must be taken that what is placed imme- 

 diately above the hole be a crooked piece of potsherd, and not 

 a flat piece of tile, such as malees often lay on, thus effectually 

 closing the hole, and impeding drainage. Above the layer of 

 broken potsherds or charcoal spread a small quantity of dry 

 moss (if to be had), or cocoanut fibre, or any similar material, 

 to prevent the soil that is to be put in from immediately falling 

 into and clogging up the drainage below. 



The soil best adapted for the general run of potted plants is 

 common garden-loam, with which are well mixed and in- 

 corporated about one-eighth of vegetable mould, the same 

 quantity of well-rotted cow-dung, and a little silver-sand. To 

 keep the soil open nothing better can be mixed with it than a 

 small quantity of garden-refuse, charred, and broken into rather 

 small pieces. 



