ON THE TREATMENT OF ANNUALS. 
63 
term of endurance can be considerably lengthened, by aiming to endue it with the 
principle alluded to. The first step of progress towards doing so would be to ensure 
to the plant the enjoyment of all those conditions essential to maintaining it in per- 
fect health. That a luxuriant habit is not favourable to plants like N. insignis, as 
far as their serviceableness is concerned, may be gathered from the most common- 
place observance. Indeed luxuriance in many plants is far from being a state of 
perfect health ; and notwithstanding in numerous instances it may be desirable to 
create and encourage it, cases are equally abundant in which a reverse condition is 
necessary. 
A great number of annuals being succulent, and the whole remarkable for 
natural freedom of growth, the injurious effects of a medium for their roots of a too 
highly stimulating nature is easily accounted for, and must always produce a rapid, 
profuse, and unfruitful vegetation ; the barrenness of which, as to production of flow- 
ers, is not the worst form in which its ill effects are exhibited. The plants are forced 
to grow out of their natural character, and as in their simply maintaining it consists 
their real beauty, and in point of effectiveness their principal value, they are ren- 
dered altogether unengaging from doing so. Next to a too rich soil, allowing the 
plants to grow thickly, and injuriously to crowd each other, the most extensively 
contributes towards preventing their succeeding in a favourable manner. This is 
true in reference to all plants, and especially so in the case of annuals. In plants 
growing in masses, a very nice discrimination is required to guide an interference 
with the extent to which one plant is permitted to commingle with another. That 
with some plants much more may be done in this respect than with others, will at 
once be understood; and that the appearance of all would be benefited, and the 
development of their natural character more fully provided for by attending to it, 
must be admitted. 
To examine here, however, the subject of properly regulating plants growing in 
masses no further than is necessary in reference to annuals, we will see to what 
extent its application directly to them will be beneficial. Supposing that a mass 
grown to, or approaching the dimensions they usually attain, it will be imagined that 
no beneficial result will ensue from an endeavour to improve their appearance by 
thinning out the plants and shortening the branches ; neither would either operation 
at this stage of their growth invest them with the power of continuing to bloom, if 
now for the first time it is practised. But, although the practice of what has been 
alluded to in its application under the circumstances mentioned would be useless — 
when applied to prevent instead of cure the evil, it is all-effectual, and, indeed, when 
carried out in conjunction with wholly preventing annuals perfecting or hardly 
forming any seeds, is all that can be done to produce in them that capability of con- 
tinuing to flower, which, when left to themselves, they possess in so small a degree. 
To more forcibly direct attention to the creation of this principle in annual plants, 
and its value when created, we will sketch a course of management which, if applied 
to them, will be productive of considerable improvement, if not all the results 
