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THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



placing them that the worms may not get into the 

 pots. Here let them remain without shifting into 

 larger pots or renewing the soil, but only supplying 

 water (and manure water may be used if at hand), 

 and tying them with black threads to neat rods about 

 two feet or two feet nine inches in length. By the 

 middle of September the plants will be from eighteen 

 inches to two feet in length, according to their kinds, 

 and clothed with foliage, and some of them with side 

 shoots from the bottom upward. About the begin- 

 ning of October the plants will show flower-buds : 

 in order to have strong flowers, pinch off all these 

 but the centre one and three side ones ; or, if the 

 plant is not very strong and branchy, leave the centre 

 one only : next, as the plants have now attained nearly 

 their full height, adjust the props so as they may just 

 reach within an inch of the top bud, and no higher 

 or lower unless the plant is very vigorous, when it 

 may be a few inches lower. These props ought to 

 be made tapering, and should terminate in points not 

 more than 1-1 6th of an inch in diameter. Tie the 

 stem and side flowers neatly and symmetrically to 

 them with small black threads ; clean the pots, stir 

 up and freshen the mould on their surface, and remove 

 them to the green-house. Here for the first week 

 let them have all the air possible night and day ; the 

 second week the air may be diminished, and after- 

 wards they will bear the usual treatment of green- 

 house plants at this season. 



There are various other modes of growing the 



