Feb.] 



THE FORCING GARDEN. 



G55 



is recovered and fully established, will be potted into a larger 

 pot at a future examination. All the plants which seem in 

 good health, and are in sufficiently large pots, should not be 

 disturbed, only a little of the surface-mould gently loosened 

 and taken off, and fresh surfaced with mould. Those plants 

 which may have already started into fruit, and appear to be in 

 want of room for their roots, should be carefully turned out of 

 their pots and placed in larger, taking every possible care not 

 to break their balls nor disturb their roots. When all the 

 plants are carefully examined, and the bed again ready for 

 their reception, which operation should be going on Avhile the 

 plants are examining, so as to keep them out of the bed as 

 short a time as possible, they should again be replungcd up 

 to the brims of the pots, unless it be apprehended tliat the 

 heat will be too powerful in the bed; if that be apprehended, 

 plunge them only three-fourths of their depth at first, and 

 after the heat declines, either plunge them to their full depth, 

 or add a top-dressing of half-decayed tan or leaves from 

 some of the other departments where it can be spared, or 

 have some prepared for the purpose. It is, however, much 

 better to plunge them to their full depth at first, as moving 

 them so often about is detrimental to them, and the less they 

 are now disturbed until their fruit be sv/elled off, the better. 

 In plunging them, care must be taken to place the pots quite 

 level, so that they will hold their share of water, and the 

 plants stand perpendicularly to each other. To llicilitate this, 

 a trench should be formed out in the bed the whole of its 

 length, the pots placed in it at regular distances from each 

 other, and the tan, or leaves, firmly packed in all round. The 

 distance at which they should stand from each other must be 

 determined on by the size of the plants ; they should not be 

 closer, at all events, than twenty or two- and- twenty inches 

 from the centre of one plant to that of the next. 



In arranging the plants in tlie bed, the largest should oc- 

 cupy the backward row, that is, the row farthest from the 

 front of the house, and the tallest plant should stand in the 

 centre of this row; the next in order of height upon the right 

 hand, and left alternately, and so of the other rows until the 

 whole be plunged, the smallest plants occupying the front row, 



