180 



THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



under the most favourable circumstances, as far as 

 appearance goes. Whatever may be its nature, there 

 is no remedy ; and all that the gardener can do, if he 

 discovers it before it be too late, is to take off a few 

 cuttings, or adopt the means peculiar to the plant for 

 procuring a successor. 



Subsect. 2. p7'opagation of Green-house Plants 

 hy Seeds. 



The beginning of February is considered the best 

 season for sowing the seeds of most green-house 

 plants, because this affords them all the summer season 

 to acquire a size for potting off towards autumn, and 

 being hardened a little before winter. Heaths how- 

 ever are an exception ; for though they will vegetate 

 very well at this season, yet if they can be sown the 

 preceding September after they are just ripened and 

 gathered, they will acquire sufficient strength to stand 

 through the winter, and be fit for potting off with 

 other seeds sown in February. But if heath seeds 

 are sown in spring, they should be sown very thin, 

 so that the plants may be able to stand in the seed 

 pots all the succeeding winter without damping off ; 

 for sown in the usual way in spring, they are not fit 

 for potting off till it is too late in autumn to attempt 

 it, and consequently they are left in a crow^ded state 

 in their seed pots during winter, when they almost 

 inevitably damp off for want of air round the plants. 

 Sown in autumn, they are fit to be potted off in the 



