THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



107 



life of the young plant. They sustain it 

 till it has formed roots, and, if premature- 

 ly destroyed, or much injured, the plant 

 will die. 



Seeds will not germinate unless exposed 

 to the influence of moisture, air, light, and 

 heat. They should, c5nsequently, not be 

 covered too deep, or they may fail to sprout. 



It is in ordinary cases, not profitable or 

 advisable to raise your own seeds. Your 

 soil and your time should be of more val- 

 ue and importance to you than the cost of 

 new seed. Besides, such as is raised on a 

 soil different in composition from your 

 own, will most probably thrive better. 



The roots of very young plants are rare- 

 ly hardy enough to bear transplanting 

 well. The best time for transplanting 

 seedlings, is when they have formed five 

 or six leaves ; because, about that period 

 the young roots and radicles are able to 

 perform their proper functions more suc- 

 cessfully than earlier. 



Roots essentially require the admission 

 and presence of atmospheric air. The 

 surface soil should, therefore, always be 

 kept loose and porous, and clayey ground 

 should be frequently broken up or stirred 

 in dry weather, or whenever it has become 

 parched or baked. 



When a bed has been dug over in the 

 fall, it should be suffered to lie, during the 

 winter, in the roughest condition in which 

 the spade has left it. A greater amount 

 of surface will thus be exposed to the ef- 

 fects of frost, and the ground become more 

 thoroughly pulverized in the spring. 



Frost acts with greater severity on roots 

 or tubers which have been pulled or dug 

 up, than on such as remain in the ground. 

 Hence they should either be effectually 

 protected, or remain altogether undis- 

 turbed. 



The various kinds of plants extract dif- 

 ferent substances from the soil ; and a 

 well-chosen rotation of crops is conse- 

 quently highly advantageous, and deserves 



attention. 



Leaves absorb moisture from the atmos- 

 phere, and again part with it; they inhale 

 and exhale air, and thus constitute the 

 more important organs of plants. If in- 

 jured or removed, the entire plant suffers 

 accordingly. 



The pores of the leaves, through which 

 air and moisture are transpired, are ex- 

 ceedingly minute, and very liable to be 



closed by dust. The foliage of stove 

 plants should therefore be frequently well 

 sprinkled with pure water, to prevent or 

 remove obstruction to healthy action from 

 this cause. 



In their natural cond'tion or growth, the 

 leaves and branches of plants rarely touch 

 or cross each other. We should hence 

 learn not to crowd our plants close togeth- 

 er, or to place even a single plant in a con- 

 fined position, where its leaves and branch- 

 es have not room to expand or develop 

 themselves fully and freely. Air and 

 light are as essential to their vigorous and 

 healthy growth as earth and water. 



The falling off of the leaf of a newly- 

 set cutting, is an indication that the cut- 

 ting has begun to grow. But, if the leaf 

 wither and dry without dropping from the 

 stem, it is an evidence that the plant lacks 

 vigof to effect the natural process of shed- 

 ding the leaf, and will probably fail to 

 grow. 



When bushy plants produce an abun- 

 dance of foliage with few buds or blos- 

 soms, they should either be transplanted 

 into a poorer soil, or some of the principal 

 roots should be pruned off. 



Drying winds are injurious, as they rob 

 the leaves of plants of moisture more rap- 

 idly than it can be supplied by the roots. 

 Plants need as careful protection from such 

 winds as from frost. 



When a grass-plot becomes pervaded 

 by moss, apply some fine, rich manure to 

 the surface. This will reinvigorate the 

 grass, and enable it to subdue and expel 

 the intruder. 



In pruning, always make the cut towards 

 yourself. Enter the knife on the side op- 

 posite the bud, a little above its base, and 

 cut through, sloping to just above the top 

 of the bud. The vitality of the terminal 

 wood will thus be preserved, and the wound 

 speedily heal over. 



Leaves grown in the shade, or in the 

 dark, do not attain the depth of color, nor 

 the harshness of taste which mark such 

 as are fully exposed to light and air. Gard- 

 eners take advantage of this when tying 

 up lettuce or endive, and earthing up cel- 

 ery, to blanch them. 



Light is essential to enable flowers to 

 develop their colors fully. Hence the 

 proper place for flowering plants, in cham- 

 ber culture, is as near the window as pos- 

 sible. 



