532 
THE MANAGEMENT OF GREENHOUSES. 
and prevent tlie temperature from going down 
to freezing point. As regai-ds giving air, 
even in the height of summer, if there be 
plants in the house, there should be no 
thorough draught from end to end ; let the top 
lights be down, and the front lights open, and 
then there is a circulation all over the tops of 
the plants, but no draught through them. 
PLAN OF A STAGE AND SHELVES. 
The front of the greenhouse is the most 
valuable part ; a shelf along the top, just over 
the front windows, and under the roof, is 
essential, as it holds all small things that want 
to be near the glass. The table, or broad 
shelf in front, at the bottom of the front lights, 
should be as wide as two feet, for it is of great 
service for many plants that require constant 
care and attention; they are easily got at, 
they are near the light, may be turned round 
easily every day to prevent their growing 
one-sided ; and this front should be wood 
trellis-shelving instead of solid, or instead 
of stone or slate ; nevertheless, if it be solid, 
strips of lath should be laid along, an inch or 
so apart, so that the bottoms of the pots may 
not be on a tlat place, so as to exclude the air 
from the drainage-hole. ' There should also 
be a good shelf on the back wall near the top 
for such of the plants as want most air and 
least warmth, especially for things that rest 
all the winter, and the main stage should be 
as near the glass as it is possible to construct 
it, due regard being had to the growth of the 
plants. There should not be more shade than 
cannot be avoided; light is essential, air is es- 
sential, and, above all, room for the free play 
of this air is essential; though it is pretty gene- 
rally the practice to put the plants in a green- 
house as close together as possible, there ought 
to be as much room between them as they 
occupy; and the nearer you can comply with 
this, the better they will grow. Cleanliness 
is also one of the great requisites for the 
health of plants ; dead leaves, damp corners, 
dirty shelves, decaying flowers, and litters of 
any sort are injurious: whatever the damp can 
hang about, is likely to produce mildew ; the 
drawing-room itself does not require clean- 
ing more than the greenhouse, if we intend 
to do the best with the plants. 
WATERING THE PLANTS. 
The best water for plants is rain ; not a 
quart should ever be wasted. A tub, or a 
tank, should be inside the house, and the entire 
rain from the roof should be conducted by a 
pipe to the inside; nothing is more simple 
and attainable, nothing more valuable than a 
contrivance for a supply of rain-water. Next 
to this it is desirable to have it the same 
temperature as the atmosphere of the house. 
One-half the plants that are unhealthy have 
been chilled by the watering, and, in many 
places, where tliey can only get spring water, 
they are very unsuccessful ; some do not know 
why, but there is no difficulty about establish- 
ing the fact. Hard water is injurious, mine- 
ral waters are often so ; river water is next 
to rain in value, if it be soft ; but even that 
ought never to be used cooler than the air of 
the house. Pond water is next to river, if 
there be nothing noxious flowing into it, 
but all of these are poor apologies for the 
rain-water, conducted into the house. Some 
caution is required in one respect; when the 
wood-work has been fresh painted, the water 
will poison anything, so that it must be turned 
away until it neither tastes nor smells of the 
paint. In the mean time, some pains must be 
taken to get good water. With regard to 
tlie mode of administering water, only those 
within reach may be said to belong to ladies' 
work ; but it is quite necessary they should 
set one who understands it to do the rest, for 
too much or too little water is fatal. No 
plant should be watered while the soil is moist; 
but it is as essential, that when it is watered, 
all the soil in the pot should be moistened. 
There is another point that requires attention. 
If, while other plants are apparently dry, any 
one seems wet, it should be examined, to see 
if the drainage be free ; because it will, be 
obvious either that the plant cannot absorb so 
fast as the rest, or that the water has not the 
means of draining away ; if it appear that the 
drainage is clogged, the ball must be relieved 
of the crocks or other matter put in at the 
bottom, and which will appear to have got the 
soil run among it, and fresh crocks must be 
put in. A plant suffers as soon from want of 
the supply of air, and a too great supply of 
water, as it does from a deficiency. The cistern, 
tub, or tank, being handy to draw or dip water 
from, a lady can use just such sized watering 
pot as is most convenient to handle, and go 
round the plants to give only such as are dry 
the requisite moisture, not just a sprinkle at 
top, but as much as will cause a surplus to 
run out at bottom. The earth should be 
examined to see if it be close to the side, if 
not, the watering has been too long neglected; 
for the first symptom of suffei'ing, or danger 
of suffering, is the shrinking of the ball of 
earth, and if this be not noticed, the water 
then given proves useless, because it runs 
down the vacancy between the ball and the 
pot, and does not soak in at all. 
MANAGEMENT OF AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS. 
The Azalea indica, and Camellia japonica, 
are as hardy as any of the greenhouse plants, 
and want as little labour as any, although 
they must have attention. When these plants 
