THE GREEN-HOUSE. 
53 
in three-inch pots they may be transferred to 
six-inch ones, using as much as two inches of 
porous material for drainage, and "the soil in 
as rough a state as it can be worked: if, on the 
other hand, smaller and more common-place 
plants only are required, they may be placed 
in pots one size larger. Good heath soil, as 
it is termed, is what is principally required 
for these plants, a little loam may be intermixed. 
Heath soil is that on which heaths flourish 
naturally ; if it has not a moderate proportion 
of silver sand mixed through the mass, this 
must be added at the time of potting. For 
New Holland plants generally, which are pro- 
perly grown in the same house, a compost of 
two parts of this mixture proper for heaths, 
and one part of loam, is more suitable. The 
following are a few of the principal plants 
of this class, requiring this difference of 
soil : — 
HEATH SOIL OR PEAT. 
Aplielexis (sandy) 
Azalea 
liljeria 
Boronia (sandy) 
Chironia 
Chorozema 
Dracophyllum 
Epacris 
Erica 
Gnidia 
Gonipholobiiwi 
Helichrysum 
H ovea 
Leschenaultia 
Lysinema 
Mirbelia 
Phoenocoma 
Spreng;elia 
Styphelia 
Tcmpletonia 
Thysanotus 
Whsenia (sandy) 
PEAT AND LOAM. 
Acacia 
Adenandra 
Banksia 
Bossiaea 
Coleonema 
Corraea 
Crowea (sandy) 
Daviesia 
Dillwynia 
Diosma 
Eriostemon 
Entaxia 
Grevillea 
Lasiopetalum 
Oxylobium 
Pimelea 
Podolobium 
Polygala 
Platylobium 
Prntea ( j sandy loam) 
Pultena?a (sandy) 
Tbomasia 
Training and Pruning. — If the young 
plants are desired to form close, neat, and com- 
pact bushes, they must have all the strongest 
shoots topped as soon as they grow two inches 
or so in length ; this will cause them to throw 
out young shoots in all directions. To pro- 
duce really compact and symmetrical plants, 
it is highly necessary to be very assiduous in 
carrying out this point of management through- 
out the whole of the growing season. Some 
of the strongest growing kinds may be grown 
to very interesting specimens, having the form 
of an elongated narrow cone ; this is done by 
encouraging a leading shoot, and stopping 
closely in all the lateral twigs ; the leading 
sboot is obtained by pruning the last growth 
back about a third of its length, which induces 
young shoots, the strongest upper one of 
which is continued as the leader, and the rest 
are cut close in. Plants so treated are very 
handsome, and very appropriate in situations 
where every thing is formal ; as, for instance. 
when placed at regular distances by the side 
of the pathway in conservatories, or in the 
summer season by the side of terrace walks. 
Azaleas. — The management of these at this 
period, relates more to the development of the 
blossoms than to the actual growth of the plant. 
Some of the specimens should be placed in 
succession in the forcing-house or stove, in 
order to keep up a supply of these flowers ; 
it will be enough if one or two plants at a time 
are removed to the warmer situation. Some 
of these plants will now be had in bloom up to 
May : those in flower, require to be very regu- 
larly attended with plenty of water. 
J3oronias and Croiveas. — These two very 
beautiful genera of hard-wooded plants 
are benefitted by being removed to a cool 
shelf near the glass in the hot-house, while 
they are making their young growth during 
the spring. Some other of the difficult slow- 
growing, hard-wooded plants, would, no doubt, 
derive advantage from a similar practice. 
Air and Temperature. — All the air should 
be admitted daily which the state of the wea- 
ther will permit ; but it should be so managed 
as not to cause drying or chilling draughts. 
The temperature at night may be from 40 de- 
grees as a maximum, down almost to the 
freezing point when the weather is dull and 
I wintry. In the day time it may range from 
j 45 degrees to oO degrees, but sufficient air should 
be admitted to prevent its rising much above 
; the latter point. 
Watering. — If the weather is fine and mild, 
I a slightly increased proportion of water may 
be allowed, but even now it must not be given 
before the plants require it ; this may be as- 
certained only by a careful examination of the 
soil in which each plant is growing ; and a 
little practice and experience will soon render 
this easily determined. Just enough to keep 
the soil in a medium state, between wet and 
dry, is the proportion that should be given, 
and this ought to be of the same temperature 
as the house, or a little warmer — by no means 
colder. If the weather should be dull and 
damp, very little water will even now be re- 
quired. It will be seen that the amount of 
water applied, and the frequency of its appli- 
cation, entirely depend on the existing state 
of the weather. 
Gi:raniu5[-iiouse. Pelargoniums. — Among 
these plants there will be a good deal of re- 
potting required towards the end of the month. 
A few of those intended for early blooming 
were potted last month, and the great bulk of 
the plants will require potting during the pre- 
sent. It should be done by selecting all the 
strongest plants one week, and then again the 
strongest of the remainder a week or so later, 
and so on till they are all done. Besides 
avoiding that rtprehensive practice of potting 
