PITS AND FRAMES. 
255 
much moisture during the growing season, 
provided the young shoots are not deluged, 
since the heat of this house will prevent the 
injury which would accrue in a cooler tempera- 
ture. In the cool-house, on the other hand, 
if water in any quantity is allowed to lodge in 
the hase of the leaves of the young shoots, they 
will rot away, or the leaves will assume a 
spotted' and sickly appearance, and the flower 
stems will be weakly. This is a very critical 
period of growth ; and, in consequence of our 
artificial, and often unnatural mode of treat- 
ment, many of the. young shoots would be 
likely to be lost. Many plants grow naturally 
with their leaves downwards, thus preventing 
the lodging of water at their base : this is not 
enough attended to in artificial cultivation. 
The plants that are not in a growing state 
should be collected together, that they may get 
less moisture, both directly and indirectly, than 
those which are growing freely. 
FORCING-HOUSE FOR FLOWERS. 
By this time the forcing of flowers, strictly 
speaking, is over ; and the structures used for 
this purpose may be applied to other objects. 
Still if any plants requiring nearly the treat- 
ment given in a stove, such as Achimenes, 
Gloxinias, &c., are yet retained here, continue 
to encourage their development by every 
appliance available ; such as maintaining a 
regular, moist, sweet atmosphere about them, 
training the plants regularly, and keeping 
under all insects. 
Crassula falcata should also be continued 
in sufficient heat to enable it to attain the 
largest possible growth ; until which time, it 
should be liberally supplied with moisture, so 
long as the roots do not get damaged by it. 
Pinks, Picotees, <!yc. — Bed out all plants of 
this description as soon as they are well rooted. 
Chose a warm but not too much sheltered 
spot, and well dress the ground with rotten 
manure or leaf-mould, giving it a good digging, 
so as to leave it as light as possible. Then put 
out the young plants, allowing about a square 
foot of ground to each. If the weather is 
at all dry, water the plants and shade them till 
they make a fresh start ; keep down weeds, 
and occasionally stir the mould well among 
the plants. 
Pelargoniums. — As these plants go out 
of bloom and begin to harden their wood, cut 
them in close, and keep them dry until they 
begin to push fresh buds. AVhen such buds 
attain a length of half an inch or a little 
inure, the plants should be shaken out of 
the pota in which they were grown the 
previous season, and the roots should be very 
considerably shortened, so that the plants 
may be repotted in small pots, in a free Bandy 
soil, with very little manure in it. Place 
them in a pit, where they may be kept 
shaded until they begin to grow strongly ; 
when the shoots should be stopped, and so re- 
gulated as to form handsome compact heads. 
Chinese Hoses. — Pot off all cuttings of 
Eoses of this class as soon as they are well 
rooted, and grow them in pits kept pretty 
close until they attain a sufficient size for use ; 
when they may be hardened to endure the 
open air until wanted for forcing. 
After Treatment. — Attend to the watering, 
weeding, and regulating of all the hardy 
shrubs which are potted up for forcing. One 
point should always be attended to in manag- 
ing all forced plants, especially woody ones. 
It is to keep them so regulated as to be 
enabled to introduce the same plants to the 
house as nearly at the same time, in each season, 
as possible ; or at least, in the same order. 
Plants so treated become in some degree ac- 
celerated, so as to require less excitement to 
induce them to commence their growth after 
a few years, than plants which are forced for 
the first time. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
These structures will now be fully occupied : 
all the most delicate of green-house plants, 
removed to a cooler position from those struc- 
tures, will be here accommodated while they 
form and mature a perfect growth, and pre- 
pare themselves for their next flowering season. 
Various plants will be preparing for winter 
flowering ; and in others again, propagation 
will be going on vigorously, to furnish young 
and healthy plants of various kinds that may 
be required. 
Tender Annuals. — These must be removed 
to a stove, or warm green-house, as they 
grow too large for the frames ; but they 
always do best to be kept in the latter as 
long as possible. Pot them frequently into 
i rich soil ; but, especially as they get large 
this must be done very carefully, so that the 
roots are not injured thereby. Balsams may 
be flowered very well in eleven-inch pots ; 
but larger ones will produce larger plants. 
Cockscombs and Globe Amaranths do very 
well in eight-inch ones. Biowallias, also, do 
well in this size. These are some of the 
best of this class of plants ; and they are 
very useful lor ornamenting the green-houses 
and other situations, during the time the other 
plants are set out for the summer. 
Alpines. — Keen these in a cool shaded place 
with a north aspect, and keep them well 
moistened. It is a very good plan to plunge 
the pots in moss, and to keep this damp, as 
it keeps the roots in an evenly moistened and 
cool state. 
Half-hardy Annuals. — A few of the very 
best sorts, or those most admired, if sown 
