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AND FLOWER-GARDEN DIRECTORY. 98 
for winter flowering, should be potted off in summer, placed in a 
shady position, and permitted to rest, by which treatment they 
will gain strength. Plants which bloom in summer must rest in 
winter, and when not allowed to bloom in summer, become artifi- 
cially changed. When housed, the essential requisites to enablé 
them to bloom well are light, moisture, temperature, and clean- 
liness. 
The plants should be placed in such a position where each por- 
tion can receive its due share of light, or they will grow strag- 
gling, weak, and out of shape, by bending toward the light. 
In order to secure a proper drainage, the pots should have pieces 
of broken flower-pots, charcoal, &c., placed in the bottom. This 
should be done particularly for geraniums and roses. Different 
plants require different degrees of moisture. The aquatic plants 
require an abundance, while others should only have a sufficiency 
to keep the soil moderately moist. Give water in proportion to 
the wants of the plant. 
Sudden changes of temperature should be particularly guarded 
against. Too much heat destroys the foliage, as well as the buds. 
In open weather, give fresh air to the plants, and keep the soil 
loosened, in the tops of the pots. 
Should the green-fly make his appearance, place the plants in 
such a situation that they can be fumigated with tobacco-smoke. 
Twenty minutes will serve for this purpose. Brush the plants 
gently, cleanse the pots, and give fresh air. The tops of the 
plants should be sprinkled three times a week, for it not only 
serves to keep them clean, but greatly strengthens them. If these 
precautions be adhered to, the bloom will amply repay the labor 
bestowed upon them. 
Where plants are housed merely for protection, they may be 
safely kept by placing them in any ordinary room, having a suffi- 
ciency of light, and in which the temperature does not fall below 
40°. In open weather, give moderate waterings. More plants 
are lost in house culture from excessive heat and the want of fresh 
air and light than those lost by other causes. 
