84 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE. 



its roots ; or, to make it better understood, if the plants 

 are, say a foot high and a foot in diameter, they should 

 ba pruned back so that the diameter v, r ill not be more 

 than six or eight inches, and for such sized plants the 

 pot should not be more than six inches wide and deep. 



The same rule applies to plants that have been grow- 

 ing in pots. If the plant is now in a pot three inches wide, 

 a proper shift will be to one four or four and a half 

 inches wide ; if in a five-inch, shift to six and a half or 

 seven-inch, and so on. In taking a plant out of a pot 

 to place it in another, turn it upside down, with the 

 fingers of the left hand spread over the surface of the 

 earth or top of the ball, and with the right hand holding 

 the pot by the bottom, give the rim a smart rap on 

 the edge of a board, and the ball of earth enveloping the 

 root will come out, just as a jelly will out of a mold. I 

 ain particular in referring to this simple matter, knowing 

 that it is no uncommon thing for ladies to break the pot 

 with a hammer in their endeavors to get at the roots, 

 although they would hardly sacrifice a bowl to get at the 

 jelly. In shifting, or repotting, place a little soil in the 

 bottom of the pot; then place in the ball of roots exactly 

 in the center, which will leave a space of from half an 

 inch to two or three inches between this and the sides of 

 the pot, according to the size of plant to be shifted. To 

 pack this space between the side of the pot and the ball 

 of roots with soil, it is better to use a flat stick with which 

 to crowd it in moderately firm, filling up the pot to with- 

 in an inch or so of the rim, this space being required to 

 enable it to hold water. A point of great importance 

 not generally known in shifting plants, is, if the ball of 

 soil surrounding the roots is hard or encrusted, to beat 

 around it gently with a light piece of wood, so as to 

 loosen the outer crust. If this is not done there is some 

 danger of it getting too dry, as the water cannot so easily 

 penetrate the hard ball of roots and earth as it can the 



