44 
IMPROVEMENTS IN GARDEN-POTS. 
venting them from descending, for it must be recollected that all roots have 
naturally a downward tendency. 
In order to accomplish this end with potted plants, there is no other way of 
proceeding than by making the pots shallower. And in this, we are persuaded, 
lies the art of flowering plants quickly and well. It will repress straggling and 
rampant habits, and, with a state of beautiful dwarfness, produce an unusually 
liberal flowering condition. "We are greatly mistaken if the Chinese are not better 
philosophers than we are on this point ; for we believe they plant their curious 
stunted trees in exceedingly shallow pans of porcelain. 
Passing on to drainage, it has for some time been surprising to us that culturists 
should have been contented so long with having only one aperture in the bottom of 
their pots. This, from its liability to get stopped, often becomes quite useless, and 
is never so efficient as it ought to be. Occasionally, we have met with pots having 
three or five holes for drainage. These, however, are very scarce, and, we fear, by 
no means increasing. The suggestion we have to make is that six or seven 
apertures be made, according to the size of the pot, and that thus the possibility of 
the drainage becoming clogged be almost wholly precluded, while, in an ordinary 
way, facilities are provided for rendering it extremely complete. 
We have another object in view, in addition to that of facilitating drainage, in 
recommending an increased number of apertures to be made in the pot. It is 
admitted on all hands that the passage of air through the soil is very efficacious in 
guarding it from getting sour or saturated, and that it augments the fertility of the 
plants on whose roots it acts. We therefore propose a greater number of apertures 
in pots, to admit a larger circulation of air. But lest this should not be obtained 
12.MI. 
in consequence of the pots standing flatly on the stage upon which they are 
situated, we would have the pots furnished with four feet, at least an inch long, on 
