210 



THE MIXED GREEXHOUSE. 



as this is too often, however rare, thrust in some out-of-the-way part of 

 the house, quite out of sight. Now, such a plant, from being in a sickly 

 state, should he either cut down in spring and allowed to form itself anevr, 

 or brought into the most favourable part of the house, to be nursed into 

 better health. Again, many plants that naturally require abundance of 

 light, the genus Protean for example, are often placed behind coarser and 

 common-place plants, that could themselves stand during the season under 

 the shade of others. If we take our observations from nature, we see 

 that there are plants of shade, and others that affect the sun. There are 

 the same rules observed throughout the whole vegetable kingdom, and in 

 no instance will deviation from this rule be observed but under the culti- 

 vating hand of man. Plants ought to be placed according to their several 

 natures ; and this is one of many reasons which has induced us to sketch 

 out the arrangement in their cultivation, which we have endeavoured to 

 elucidate in these pages. 



We see no impropriety in bringing the several genera cultivated in a 

 Mixed Greenhouse into groups by themselves. For example, the family 

 Polygala in one group, Acacia in another, Gnidia in a third, and so on. 

 The effect would be both systematic and pleasing, and the advantages to 

 the cultivator many, because he could at one glance see his stock of each 

 genus and species, giving them excess of water, or the reverse, according 

 to circumstances ; and at the same time any pecuhar feature in the man- 

 agement could be better attended to than if they were scattered all over 

 the house. 



SOIL. 



The majority of greenhouse plants which come under the present head 

 v/ill flourish to the utmost perfection in a soil composed of half light turfy 

 sandy loam and peat earth- Some few, such as Protea, prefer a rich loam 

 of a middling texture, and others, such as Pimelea, Roella, Lechenaultia, 

 prefer a sandy peat alone. The fresh soil of a properly selected piece of 

 uncultivated land, having abundance of fibrous vegetable matter contained 

 in it, should be preferred. AU garden mould, or that which has been under 

 a state of cultivation, should be carefully rejected. 



SHIFTING OR POTTING. ^ 



Enough has been already said upon this subject, under the various 

 lisads ah-eady noticed, to render any lengthened description of the process 

 UEi':i8cessai7 here ; we will only refer to what has been said on the subject, 



