46 WINTER GREENERIES AT HOME. 



place one hand 011 the top, with the stem hetween the 

 middle fingers, then invert the pot and tap the edge of it 

 on the table or box, as in fig. 6. If the ball does not 

 drop easily into your hand, repeat the tapping at another 

 point, or loosen the soil from the pot by pouring a little 

 water around the edge, and waiting a few moments for it 

 to soak through. It will rarely be necessary to use a case- 

 knife, running it around the ball, as is sometimes 

 recommended. With a little practice, you will soon 

 be able thus to examine the ball, as in fig. 7, put on the 

 pot and turn it right side up again, without displacing a 

 spoonful of the soil. And such an examination will often 



Fig. 7. THE BALL REMOVED. 



be necessary to make you acquainted with the condition 

 of the roots, to remove angle- worms, etc. 



4. Use in general the smallest pot that will hold the 

 roots of the plant without crowding. 



Nearly all " beginners " make the mistake of taking 

 the largest pots they can find. They think, I suppose, of 

 the plants in the open ground as having unlimited room, 

 and thence infer that the larger the pot-room the 

 better. But they quite overlook certain other facts. 

 Plants need air for their roots as well as water. In the 

 open ground they send their roots along near the surface, 



