THE OI.EAXIiFJt. 67 



tlie old soil slioiilil he remuvcd from the roots, and then 

 it should 1)6 re-potted in the same pot, or in one only a 

 size larger, with a rieh loamy soil, and be placed again in 

 the greenhonse. A (juick, vigorous growth in the spring 

 is above all things to be desired j but this ean only be 

 scoured by means oi' warmth, sufficient moisture and air, 

 and annual I'enewal, wliolly or ])avtly, of the soil. It is a 

 g'ood rule with all old family plants to turn them out 

 once a year, and remove a portion of the old soil ; then 

 to put them into the same jiots, and hll in firmly with 

 a mixture of turfy loam and rotten hot-bed manure. 

 Occasionally they must have larger pots, but they may 

 be kept in the same pots for several years in succession 

 if aided as adviseJ, and they will grow sufficiently, and 

 flower freely — more freely, perhaps, than if encouraged to 

 make a strong growth by shifting into larger pots. A. 

 certain amount of vigour we must have, and the inex- 

 jjerienced amateur should guard himself against being led 

 away by the common siqierHcial talk about " starving a 

 plant into flower." The process is often carried so far 

 that the plant fails to flower through sheer debilit}', and 

 a frec[uent victim of the fallacy is the nofde oleander. 



This handsome shrub is one of the most poisonous of 

 its class, and therefore should be handled with care, for 

 if the hand is cut when jiruniug it, a dangerous wound 

 may be the result. In Dr. Hogg's " Vegetable Kingdom " 

 occurs the following resjiecting it : — " It is une of our most 

 beautiful window-plants when covered with its large, rose- 

 like blossoms; but in thes€ lilossoms the weapon of death 

 resides. During the Peninsular war a number of French 

 soldiers who went out forao-in"' near ^ladrid returned laden 

 with the fruits of their search. One of the number, with 



