764 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



the drainage is ample, and the plant exhibits a healthy appear- 

 ance, it should not be repotted. And so it is with many other 

 of the foliage plants used for room decoration — Aspidistras 

 in particular. Then the manner of potting will vary with the 

 class of plant : Chr)'santhemums, for instance, require the compost 

 tightly rammed, and so also do Palms. As a general rule, hard- 

 wooded plants, like Heaths, require to be more firmly potted 

 than soft-wooded ones, like Pelargoniums. Further remarks upon 

 the manner of potting such plants will be found in the chapters 

 devoted to Stove and Greenhouse Plants, 



Palms are, we are told in an excellent work on the propagation 

 and cultivation of Palms, by Dr. Udo Dammer, best potted so 

 that the soil slopes gradually from the side down to the centre. 

 By this means moisture is best conveyed to the centre of the 

 ball of earth, which otherwise frequently remains dr}-, to the 

 detriment of the coots. This should be well borne in mind 

 when repotting. 



Again, in potting a plant, the condition of the soil will have 

 to be taken into consideration. If it is too dry, repotting must 

 not be undertaken. The soil must be moist without being wet. 

 The pots must also be thoroughly clean and dry. Xo plant 

 should be placed in a wet or a dirty pot. Where, therefore, 

 washing has been resorted to, or new pots have been soaked, as 

 thev should be, thev must be thorousfhlv dried before being 

 used. Spring may safely be put down as the best time for 

 repotting, as then it is that roots are most active. 



AVatering. — The best water for any purpose is pure rain 

 water, but even this should never be applied of a less tempera- 

 ture than that of the room in which the plants are for the time 

 located. Cold tap water should neve?- be used. The next best 

 thing to rain water is that from a stream or well. In towns, of 

 course, this latter source of supply is not available, and the 

 cultivator must then use tap- or pump-water. In any case, 

 whether from streams, springs, or tap, it should be ^kept in a 

 large receptacle where the sun can shine upon it, and be 

 brought to the requisite temperature by the addition of hot 

 water, if necessary. The reason that rain water is preferable is 

 that it usually contains (it may be in very small quantities) 

 some chemical substance like ammonia, as well as certain gases 

 dissolved in it, which tend to liberate soil constituents that are 

 needful for the sustenance of plant-life. 



A fairly good method of telling if water is needed is to strike 

 the pot with the knuckles, and if a clear ringing sound is 

 emitted, it may usually be assumed that water is needful, although 

 sometimes the dull, heavy sound one connects with a plant 

 having a sufficiency of water is given off if the roots are amply 

 filling the space at their disposal. Palms are somewhat difficult 

 subjects for the majority of amateurs to judge of, but if the 



