90 OPERATIONS OF GARDENING. PART T. 



they are watered moderately not excessively ; the side of the 

 roof is screwed on, and the case is then ready for transmission. 



It was formerly thought that these plant-cases should be her- 

 metically closed ; but this of late has been found to be a mistake. 

 The small amount of air that gains access to their interior 

 through accidental crevices is considered rather beneficial than 

 otherwise. 



A rough mode of conveying Eose-trees to this country from 

 England, which has been adopted of late years and been 

 attended with partial success, is as follows : 



An order is given to some nurseryman in England to send 

 out a selected number of plants. In November, when they have 

 become dormant, he pulls them up by the roots, without any 

 earth upon them, lays them in a wooden box, packing them well 

 in with dried moss, nails the lid of the box on, and so despatches 

 them overland to this country. 



The plants, as soon as possible after arrival, should be potted 

 off, and their stems bound round with the moss in which they 

 were packed. They should then be put in some shady place, 

 out of the way of the wind, and be frequently watered all over. 



But this withal is a very rude way of proceeding, involving to 

 a certainty the loss of a large proportion. A modification of it 

 for the conveyance of plants of nearly every description, adopted 

 by Mr. M'lvor at Ootacamund, and attended almost uniformly 

 with success, was communicated to me by himself, as follows : 



He writes to a nurseryman in England, some considerable 

 time beforehand, what plants he desires to be sent out to him. 

 The nurseryman cultivates specimens in very small pots, from 

 which after a time he removes them, binds the roots, with as 

 little soil upon them as possible, round with moss, and then sets 

 them closely side by side. In this way they will grow vigorously, 

 filling the moss with young roots. On the approach of winter, 

 when they become dormant, watering is discontinued, and they 

 are allowed to become quite dry. This is a point most essen- 

 tial to success. They are then headed down and packed with 

 care closely in a wooden box. Nearly all the beautiful exotic 

 plants with which the public gardens at Ootacamund are 

 enriched were procured from England, Mr. M'lvor assured me, 

 by adopting this plan. 



1 question, however, whether any English nurseryman would 



