1 6 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



fit state to be taken from plants that have produced the 

 summer supply of fruit : let them be carefully de- 

 tached from the parent plants, cut their rugged base 

 smoothly off with the knife, and remove with the hand 

 the short scaly leaves which cluster round their base, 

 and under which appear the young roots. The leaves 

 should not be removed any higher up than where these 

 young roots assume a brownish hue. As this operation 

 is proceeded with, the suckers, for convenience, should 

 be classed into two lots, the smallest and the largest 

 being placed by themselves. The largest set, pre- 

 suming that tliey are strong and healthy, are to be 

 potted in 8-inch, and the smallest in 6-inch pots. 

 The pots, if not new, should be well washed both 

 outside and inside. The crocking should be efficiently 

 performed, using rather finely broken crocks with all 

 dust sifted out of them. They should be arranged 

 in the bottom of the pots to the depth of one and a 

 half inch in the 6-inch, and two inches in the 8-inch 

 pots. Over the crocks should be placed a thin layer 

 of dry moss or the most fibry part of the loam, and 

 over all a sprinkling of fresh soot, which acts as a 

 barrier to worms and affords a stimulant to the plants. 



In potting the suckers, place them sufficiently deep 

 in the pots to keep them steadily in their places ; press 

 the soil firmly about them with a blunt-pointed piece 

 of wood, and leave it about three quarters of an inch 

 from the rim of the pots, that there may be no difficulty 

 in watering them when necessary. It being presumed 

 that a pit was previously made ready for their recep- 

 tion, they should be plunged at once to the rim of the 

 pot ; and should the bottom-heat be derived from leaves 

 or tan, or both, and not likely to exceed 85°, the plung- 



