June.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 427 
You never should put sheep-dung, or any other, in the water, as 
is practised by many persons to the great injury of their plants; for 
these strongly impregnated waters, instead of .affording nourish- 
ment, cause the leaves to change to a pale sickly colour, and ulti- 
mately bring on a general debility: they operate like hot liquors 
on human bodies, which at first taking, seem to add new vigour, 
yet, after some time, leave the body weaker than before. 
If mowings of short grass, or some moss, be spread on the surface 
earth, of the large tubs or pots of oranges, lemons, &c. it will pre- 
serve the moisture, and defend the upper roots from the sun and 
drying air. 
Such of the pots, with plants, as are plunged in the earth, must be 
turned fully round in their seats, once a week, to break off such 
fibres as extend through the holes at bottom, into the surrounding 
earth; for the reasons of doing this, see pages 401 and 403. 
Some people thin, what they consider, the superabundant blossoms 
of oranges and lemons; this I do not approve of, as it is probable that 
such as would set the best fruit, might be plucked off as well as any 
other; therefore, it will be the better way, to suffer the whole bloom 
to remain, and if too abundant a crop of fruit should happen to set, 
to thin them soon after, to a sufficient number. However, where 
some are wanted for making orange-flower water, the smallest 
may be picked off, where they appear in clusters, leaving the 
largest and most promising. Any declining myrtles or other hard- 
wooded plants, may be greatly restored to strength and vigour, by 
turning them out of their pots, earth and all, and placing the balls in 
baskets made of peeled or dried willows, and plunging these in the 
open borders till September; when they are to be taken up, the 
extending roots trimmed off, the baskets cut away, and the plants 
with the entire balls replanted in suitable sized pots or tubs, after 
which, they are to be placed in the shade till housed. 
Propagating the Plants. 
Myrtles may be propagated abundantly towards the middle or 
latter end of the month, by slips or cuttings of the present 
year's wood, as may also Hydrangeas, Fuschias, China and Ota- 
heite roses; Coronillas, Bupthalmum fruticosum, Geraniums, Jas- 
mines, Heliotropiums, and almost every other kind of shrubby or 
under shrubby plants; observing when dressed and the under 
leaves taken off, to plant them, three, four, or five inches deep, ac- 
cording to their respective lengths, in wide garden pans or pots 
filled with light rich earth, or into beds of similar earth, where 
they can have occasional shade and waterings till rooted. However, 
the covering of them with bell-glasses, will greatly facilitate their 
rooting and promote their growth, which, for the reasons assigned 
in page 423, is by far the most eligible method, but particularly for 
woody plants, and such others as are not of the succulent tribe. 
This is also a very proper time to propagate succulent plants, of 
most kinds, which are to be treated as directed in page 402, under 
the article, propagating the plants. 
