70 THE GARDENER. [jAN. 



but so lightly as will prevent excessive dryness on the 

 one hand, which would cause the entire extraction of 

 moisture from the roots, and that degree of dampness 

 on the other, which (and this often occurs when the 

 drainage in the pots is imperfect) would cause them 

 to rot ; in short, an equable and very moderate moisture 

 for the growing plants, should if possible be preserved. 

 The watering ought to take place in the morning, in 

 order that the dampness should pass away before the 

 houses are closed at night. The Camellia, which when 

 growing freely requires abundance of water, would be 

 greatly injured if supplied with it except in its ad- 

 vancing state of vegetation, and according to its growth. 

 Those plants which are nearest the flues will require 

 more attention, in this respect, than those which are 

 distant from them, and the temperature of the water 

 ought to be a few degrees higher than that of the 

 house. The late Mr. Loudon has judiciously re- 

 marked, that the application of water to plants in a 

 dormant state, is one of the commonest and most in- 

 jurious errors committed by persons unacquainted with 

 the principles of culture ; it does comparatively little 

 harm to plants in the free soil in the open garden ; but 

 to plants in pots, and especially to those having suf- 

 fruticose stems, such as the Pelargonium, or to hair- 

 rooted plants, such as Heaths, and to all bulbs, it is 

 extremely injurious, and often destructive of life. In 

 the first case, more water is absorbed by the roots than 

 can be decomposed or evaporated by the leaves ; in 

 the second case, the roots are suffocated and rotted 

 from their delicacy; and in the third, rotting takes 

 place from mere organic absorption ; for when the 

 leaves of bulbs decay, their roots decay also, and con- 

 sequently they cannot absorb water by their spon- 

 gioles ; but absorption by the tissue is still going 

 on, the vessels become surcharged and burst, and the 

 bulb rots. Hence in the case of bulbs, and such-like 



