238 



THE COXSERVATORY. 



pre^"ious, by being frequently tamed over, mixed, and sweetened, — light 

 yellow loam and sandy peat in equal parts, excepting where camellias or 

 oranges are intended to be planted. Should the loam rather incline to 

 be strong, or the peat deficient of a proper portion of sand, then both 

 deficiencies may be readily made up by the addition of a sufficient por- 

 tion of fine, shai'p river sand. The beds being filled ^vith the above com- 

 post, regularly and moderately trodden down during the operation of 

 filling, are then ready for the reception of the plants. Vie need hardly 

 remind the most inexperienced that the mould should be as dr\* as 

 possible at the time it is put into the beds, and also that a proper allow- 

 ance of depth be allowed for settlement, which will be more or less, 

 according to the manner in which it is trodden down during the opera- 

 tion. For a bed of the above depth an allowance of about six inches 

 ^vill in most cases be found sufficient, and indeed it is better always that 

 the conservatory beds should appear rather high and full than low and 

 under the floor level, a defect which cannot be readily rectified after- 

 wards, as any attempt to raise it by the addition of more mould would 

 bury the roots of the plants too deep, a circumstance greatly to be 

 guarded against. 



In Conservatories where oranges or camellias are intended to be planted 

 out, a difference of soil is absolutely necessary, because for the former it 

 can scarcely be too strong and rich if sufficiently porous to admit of extra 

 humidity passing freely through it, and for the latter, a mellow, light, 

 rather rich loam is to be prefered. Were either of these plants to occupy 

 the whole bed of a conservatory, the required soil could be readily afforded 

 them ; but as they in general are only introduced as part of consen atory 

 collections, it will be better to plant them in groups, either along the 

 back of the bed, or at its ends, as circumstances and the good taste of 

 the owner may suggest ; in either case the soil should be adapted to them, 

 which it could not be done so well if they were planted indiscriminately 

 amongst the other plants. 



In regard to the management of Conservator}- plants, the whole may he 

 included in a few words. Air cannot be too freely admitted to them 

 even during winter, so that the temperature does not fall below forty 

 degrees, nor should it be by any means allowed to exceed fifty degrees by 

 artificial means. This may be said to be the great art of growing Con- 

 servatory plants well. In regard to water, where the trees are planted 

 out, great caution must be paid that they neither become too dry at th^ 

 roots, or soddened with an excess of it. ^yhen kept in large pots, vases, cr 



