514 THE PLEASURE GARDEN, [AUG. 



stage auriculas, and, the earlier in the month the 

 better. Let them be carefully taken off, trim away 

 a few of the bottom leaves, and plant them into pots 

 three inches diameter, and four deep. Out of these 

 they must be shifted in February, (which see,) into 

 full sized pots, about six inches inside diameter at 

 top, and eight inches deep. The pots must be in 

 this proportion, deep, in order that a few small shi- 

 vers, or a handful of clean, roundish gravel, maybe 

 laid at the bottom of each, to drain off the super- 

 abundant water. This should be done with all pot- 

 ted auriculas, as they do not like stagnated water 

 about their roots. 



Indeed this rule ought to be invariable for all 

 potted plants. Nothing is more pernicious to plants 

 than stagnant moisture, whether in pots, or in the 

 open ground ; and unless for aquatics, draining 

 should be carefully studied, and practised, as far as 

 the case will admit. It needs but a single compari- 

 son to be convinced of the propriety of thus drain- 

 ing the earth of plants in pots ; which may be made 

 by any one, and will be manifest in a very short 

 time. There is another advantage in laying a 

 handful of clean gravel at the bottom of the pots, 

 as above directed, namely, it prevents worms from 

 crawling through the hole, into the soil, at least in 

 a great measure ; and it is well known that "worms 

 very much alter and impoverish earth in which 

 they abound, in passing it through their bodies. 



The mother plants should be taken out of their 

 pots ; the balls reduced to about half their sizes ; and 

 the matted roots singled out, and properly trimmed j 



