34 



THE BEGINNER'S GABDEN BOOK 



with the soil some very well-rotted manure or compost, and 

 put some of it into the pot, above the drainage. Keep the 

 rest at hand. 



Now, with a sharp trowel or spade, cut around the plant, 

 making a circle (with the plant in the middle) a little larger 

 than the size of the pot. Lift the plant, with its earth, and 

 with pruning shears cut clean any bruised roots. Rub off 



the earth from around the 

 plant until you have a lump 

 of soil of the proper size and 

 shape to fit into the pot. 

 If in doing this you expose 

 some roots, no matter. Set 

 the plant in the pot, put- 

 ting in more earth, if nec- 

 essary, at the bottom and 

 sides, making sure that 

 there are no air spaces. 



Fig. 21. — A useful action in potting. The top of the earth should 

 Press the earth firmly (but not too i v. « • i. c 



firmly) with the thumbs. be a half mch > 0r m0re for 



a large pot, below the rim. 



In finishing, water the plant to settle it in place, and set it 

 in a shady place. Keep it from the sun for a day or two, 

 and gradually accustom it to the air and temperature of the 

 house. 



Besides these plants, grown in the garden, and not to be 

 exposed to frost for a moment, there are other plants, chiefly 

 bulbs, which can be potted after frosts come. These need a 

 good mixture of rich earth, such as equal parts of coarse 

 sand, leaf mold, good loam, and very well-rotted manure — 

 best, a mixture of horse and cow manure. But if you have in 

 the garden some dark and rich, though not wet, soil, mix a 

 quantity with half its bulk of the manure, and that will do 



