30 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
they should be sown as soon as they are ripe, in 
pans half filled with broken potsherds, over which 
a layer of rough sphagnum should be placed, and 
above that, three inches of the same material 
Mr. Saul’s Improved Flower-Pot and Potting- 
Bench. The pot has a moveable bottom, with a 
rim round it, and on the under-edge of the top 
there is also a moveable zinc rim about an inch 
broad, fixed with three small 
pieces of lead, at right angles to 
each other ; which are soldered 
on the top side of the zinc, and 
easily bend over the top-edge 
of the pot, so that it is readily 
fixed, and removed from one 
pot to another. The slugs will 
not pass over this zinc rim ; 
therefore the plants and flowers 
are secured, whether they are 
growing in pots or in the bor- 
ders. The pots are made of 
different sizes, the same as any 
other kind. On the top of the 
potting bench there are two 
sliding springs, so arranged as 
to suit any sized pots, by means 
of two thumb-screws on the 
under side of the bench, so that 
the pot slides easily under the 
ends of the springs, and is then 
held firmly by means of the pot 
rim ; the foot being applied to 
the lever, the plant and ball of 
earth are raised, as shown in 
the drawing, and the operator 
has both his hands at liberty 
to perform his work. — M. Saul, 
Nuteby Cottage, Garstang. 
Treatment of Nepenthes. The most suitable 
situation for the different species is an orchid-house, 
in which air and moisture are well regulated, and 
where the temperature ranges from 55° to 60° at 
night, for they always suffer from stagnant moisture, 
and especially when the temperature is allowed to 
become low. They flourish in a warm, moist atmo- 
sphere, if it be kept constantly but slowly in motion, 
and entirely free from sudden changes or strong 
currents of cold air. If, however, they are placed 
next the entrance to the house, where there is a 
fresh supply of air put in circulation every time the 
door is opened, they will flourish better than if 
placed in a more confined part, where the air and 
moisture is less disturbed ; they also like a good 
supply of heat and moisture to their roots. Pot, 
in an equal mixture of sphagnum, chopped very 
small, and the fresh fibre of rough peat, entirely 
freed from the finer particles ; well drain the pots, 
and press the material well down ; plunge the pots 
in moss, with a bottom heat of 70° or 80°, and keep 
a very moist atmosphere ; also water the moss well, 
continually, in which the plants are plunged. Pro- 
pagate by cuttings, layers, and seeds. Cuttings are 
made of the young shoots or offsets produced from 
the base of the old stem, when they have become 
a few inches long. Pot these singly in rather large 
pots, well drained and filled as above ; plunge them 
in damp moss in a bottom heat of 80°, and cover 
with a bell-glass. When layers are used, they are 
taken off in the usual way, and are planted in the 
same manner as cuttings. Seeds offer the best mode 
of increasing them when they can be obtained; 
chopped quite small ; the whole should be surfaced 
with a little fine peat soil, upon which the seeds 
should be sown, without covering them ; the pots 
should afterwards be plunged in moss in a bottom 
heat of 80°, and closely covered with a bell-glass. 
When the plants are large enough, shift them into 
single pots, filled with the same materials as for 
sowing the seeds ; keep them close and moist until 
they have recovered from their shift. When the 
roots are established, cautiously expose to the 
atmosphere of the house, but let them have a good 
bottom heat. When well-established, replace in 
large pots or boxes, so that there will be no neces- 
sity to shift again for some years. — G. Gordon in 
Gard. Chronicle , Jan. 6th, 1849, p. 5. 
Transplanting Large Evergreen Trees and 
Shrubs. Large hollies, yews, cedars, and similar 
ornamental evergreens, intended for immediate 
effect, should have their roots pruned any time 
before they begin to grow. In some instances it 
will be better to dig a trench within a reasonable 
distance from the bole of the tree, so as to retain a 
ball no larger than can be transplanted. This 
trench should be cut sufficiently deep all round the 
tree, and as much under it as may appear neces- 
sary, to get at the principal roots, which should be 
cut through, and the soil again filled in. The 
wounds will be completely healed by the autumn, 
and numerous rootlets sent out into the loose soil. 
The plant will be checked in its growth, and may 
probably become a little discoloured if it has pre- 
viously been in a vigorous state of growth. As to 
the proper season when the operation of transplant- 
