154 



THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



earth in the pot, the nearer the state of nature, the 

 more the nourishment, and the less the influence of 

 extreme heat or cold on the roots. But these argu- 

 ments, though plausible, are found by every practical 

 gardener to be quite fallacious. The reason seems 

 to be, that the water which is necessarily often applied 

 to large masses of earth in pots, when such earth is 

 not fully occupied by roots, stagnates and rots the 

 fibres, and the consequence is, that sodden appear- 

 ance, commonly called souring the soil, in which no 

 plant however hardy will prosper. 



A dozen or two of the plants being shifted, and 

 once or twice watered with a rose or dispenser on the 

 watering-pot, so as to settle the earth well about the 

 roots, then begin with the first plant shifted, place it 

 on the bench, and see if it requires pruning, tying to 

 a prop, or otherwise dressing, before returning it to 

 the house. Perform these things with all those 

 shifted, and afterwards return them to the green- 

 house, and replace them on the stage as before ; un- 

 less some from disease have been so deprived of roots 

 as to render it necessary to put them in a part of the 

 house where they may be shaded for a few days. 



In general, however, it is best in the course of 

 taking out the plants for shifting to put to one side all 

 diseased plants, or such as are covered with insects, 

 or are overgrown and require cutting down, or extra- 

 ordinary pruning, till the end, when they can be 

 attended to by themselves. 



In pruning, thinning, and tying up green-house 



