THE AURICULA. 
203 
must from time to time be picked off, and the 
drainage examined ; for at this period the soil 
is apt to work down among the crocks, and 
even fill up the holes in the bottom, in which 
case the soil remains too wet for the health and 
proper growth of the plants. Water seedlings 
occasionally, and where there are fresh sown 
ones up, as soon as they are large enough to 
handle well, prick them out into fresh pots an 
inch apart, to grow into strength. Seedlings 
that have been growing in this state until they 
nearly touch, may be planted round the edges 
of pots, about three in a large sixty, or four 
or five in a size of forty-eight ; any of those 
that have advanced much after being so 
planted, may be removed, one each, into sixty- 
sized pots ; and those in sixty-sized pots may, if 
their roots fill the pot, be removed to size forty- 
eight, for seedlings ought to be encouraged 
in their growth, without reference to season, 
until they develope their qualities, when they 
are either permanently adopted or got rid of'. 
Continue putting into the shady frames all 
plants as they go out of flower. 
July. — The practice of last month, in every 
particular that it will apply, is to be continued 
without any exception. As the plants have, 
throughout the collection, done blooming, they 
must be all subject to the same treatment ; but 
those plants which have not flowered need 
not be moved from their winter frames ; and 
although they must have the advantages of 
covering from extreme wet, and shading from 
hot sun, they must be uncovered as much as 
possible, with due regard to these provisions ; 
or it would be as well, if you have flooring 
enough made, for all the lights to be removed 
to the shade ; it would save the trouble and 
attendance required for shading, while they 
remain in their original place. Seed that is 
ripening may be picked and put in the sun to 
dry, in such boxes or drawers as will prevent 
any from escaping ; and those who like autumn 
sowing may sow half their stock. 
August. — This month we propose to re-pot 
the general collection, and we advise one pre- 
vailing rule, to disturb as little as possible the 
balls of earth of all those tliat have been one 
year potted in the smaller flowering-pots; re- 
move the offsets as carefully as possible, and 
be careful to preserve the roots of the old 
plants from injury, as much as you can. The 
surface of the balls may be rubbed off a little, 
so that the fibres are not bruised or broken, and 
the loose crocks at the bottom may be taken 
away ; but the next sized pot must be supplied 
with crocks, and sufficient compost in them to 
raise the ball to the surface. Compost must 
then be filled in between the ball and the pot, 
and pressed between, without moving or dis- 
placing the root. If, on turning out any of 
these balls, the roots do not appear to have 
grown much round the sides, they may be re- 
placed in their own pot, and allowed to go 
over another season in the same ; but if the 
plant be not healthy, you may conclude there 
is something wrong at the root, and therefore 
you should shake out all the soil, and examine 
it, as directed with regard to new plants. The 
plants that have been bloomed the second year, 
and have been one season in thirty-two sized 
pots, may be shaken out and deprived of some 
of their roots ; and the best way to do this is, 
to shorten the main centre, or carrot -like por- 
tion, with the fibres attached to it ; they must 
be then carefully re-potted, in the same sized 
pot, if strong, and if not strong, in a forty- 
eight sized pot ; but mostly these plants from 
the large sized pots are strong, and although 
deprived of their lower roots, want room ; be- 
sides which, the present potting of them will 
do for two seasons, if they are healthy. The 
present month must be looked upon as the 
potting month, and the whole collection, down 
to the smallest plants that have not already 
undergone it, should be changed. Look well 
to the watering of seedlings, pricking out, 
potting, or shifting all that require it ; when 
these are potted, shifted, and properly attended 
to in all these particulars, let them be returned 
to their shady frames, watered, to settle the 
earth about their roots, and closed up alto- 
gether for two or three days, after which they 
may have air as usual, and be protected from 
heavy rain, but except against violent or too 
much rain, they may be wholly uncovered. 
The offsets taken off during all the potting 
operations must be placed round the edges of 
pots, to strike root, or if rooted, potted off into 
small pots about the size which the plants war- 
rant ; very small ones, even if rooted, may be 
planted three or four in a pot, and stronger 
ones should have pots to themselves ; but there 
is always danger of suffering for want of water 
if plants are kept in very small pots, so that 
many prefer keeping them round the edges, 
three or four in a pot, to giving them small 
pots to themselves ; and if a man be so situate 
as not to be able to attend very often to them, 
they will do better in the larger body of earth ; 
however, a largesixty-sized pot will take a pret- 
ty well rooted offset, and keep it growing well 
until it is full of routs, and the ball should then, 
without reference to the time of year, be trans- 
ferred, with its ball of earth undisturbed, to a 
pot a size larger. All this work should be 
done before the month is out. 
September. — Towards the end of this 
month have the frames removed to their winter 
places, well washed out and dried, and in these 
frames place your stock ; begin by selecting 
the strongest, and give them room ; as you 
proceed, continue adding the most promising 
of i he remainder, and so go on until the whole 
