THE FLOWER GARDEN, 



S3S 



plants, the name or number of which they are meant to ex- 

 press. Nothing looks so bad as large, clumsy, badly written 

 or painted labels ; and rather than they should be used, it h 

 better to have none at all. During summer, all that is re 

 quired in their management, is to supply them with plenty o 

 water, mornings and evenings in dry weather, and to examim 

 them carefully in time of excessive sunshine, to give them • 

 little shade during the hottest part of the day ; and every mea- 

 sure calculated to render the air round them cool durino 

 summer is desirable. They should be often examined during 

 continued rains ; and where it appears that from bad draining, 

 or other causes, the water does not pass readily through the 

 ball and pot, they should be turned over, so that the super- 

 fluous water may run out, in which position they may remain 

 until dry enough to be repotted, or they may be placed on 

 the top of the other pots for a like purpose. When worms 

 make their appearance in the pots, it is necessary to turn the 

 ball carefully out, and by that means the worms may be got at 

 and destroyed ; or they may be watered over-head with lime- 

 water, which, without injuring the tenderest plant, will bring 

 the worms up to the surface, where they will soon expire. 

 Slugs are more destructive to rare plants in pots than worms, 

 and often eat the heart of the plant out before they can be 

 observed; to keep them under, recourse has been had to 

 lime-watering, &c., but we have always found hand-picking 

 the most effectual remedy in all cases where these destructive 

 creatures intrude themselves. 



Care should be observed during summer to collect seeds of the 

 rarer species of Alpine annuals or biennials, or such as are found 

 to propagate by that means only. This is the more necessary, 

 as very many of our rarest plants ripen seeds immediately 

 before their dissolution, thereby affording the cultivator the 

 means of perpetuating, or very probably of rearing a new pro- 

 geny more likely to be of longer duration with us. The 

 change of climate sensibly affects plants which are natives of 

 high latitudes, or great altitudes above the sea, and it is vi- 

 sible in their continuing only a short time with us in a state 

 of perfection ; nor is it in the least improbable, that some pe- 

 rennial plants in their native habitats, become biennials, or 



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