VENTILATION AND FEEDING 33 
is readily absorbed in the atmosphere. The damping of 
paths and other surfaces is discontinued entirely during 
winter. 
Need for Ventilation.— Abundant air must be ad- 
mitted to the structure at all times. Plants which are 
grown in a close, badly-ventilated house, never produce 
flowers of the best size or colour, but their health is 
impaired and their energies weakened. In cold or wet 
weather in winter, it is desirable to employ just enough 
fire-heat to warm the water-pipes; but, unless there is 
severe frost, the ventilators should never be closed. In 
this, as in every other detail, the cultivator must exercise 
his judgment, as it would be harmful to open the venti- 
lators facing to the east when the wind is blowing from 
that quarter. In a word, and I hope I may be under- 
stood, adequate ventilation is absolutely necessary to pro- 
duce the best results. 
Feeding the Plants.—So long as the plants are in 
6-inch pots, there is no need to apply any stimulant, as 
they are still young, and their energies are not taxed 
by the production of flowers. But after they have been 
potted into the larger-sized pots, and they have to sus- 
tain a quantity of foliage and flowers, occasional dress- 
ings of this nature are necessary. The stimulants should 
be applied in a liquid or other form, in small quantities. 
Moderate applications, given more or less frequently, are 
safer and better than excessive quantities, Carnations 
must be treated with far greater care in this respect than 
such a gross-feeding plant, for example, as the Chrysan- 
themum. I usually apply a top-dressing in February, 
just as the plants are commencing to. grow, and another 
