166 



THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



germinated an inch or two above the surface of the 

 pots, they are taken up and brought into the green- 

 house. We have ah*eady mentioned this as the best 

 plan vi^ith common bulbs, vrhether they are to be 

 blown in pots of earth, or in glasses of water. 



Sect. V. Management of Green-house Plants 

 during Winter. 



The winter quarter is characterized by no particu- 

 lar feature of management, though it is the most diffi- 

 cult to get over with safety. 



In November, the first month of winter, the great 

 difficulty is to prevent the fogs and damps from rotting 

 off the young shoots which have scarcely finished 

 growing, and from denuding large succulent-leaved 

 plants of their foliage ; all that can be done is to 

 make fires early in the morning, every morning if 

 requisite, but at least twice a week, and to open the 

 sashes freely during the day. During this month 

 and the early part of December, much more is to be 

 dreaded from damps than from dry colds or frosts. 



Towards Christmas the weather begins to grow 

 very severe ; but the atmosphere is now less charged 

 with moisture than before. Less risk is now in- 

 curred from damps ; but more to be dreaded from the 

 alternate drying and watering of the earth in the pots. 

 There is no mode of avoiding this entirely ; but there 

 are several points, which, if carefully attended to, will 

 lessen the evil in a considerable degree. The first 



