THE ONE-SHIFT SYSTEM OF POTTING. 
r 
rounded ; flowers round, of numerous narrow- 
petals ; height, two feet. There are varieties 
with scarlet, crimson, purple, lilac, white, and 
yellow flowers. Flowers in August. 
CRYPTADENIA UNIFLORA OF MEISNER. 
ONE-FLOWERED CRYPTADENIA. 
This plant, together with two nearly allied 
species, have been removed by Professor 
Meisner from the Linnasan genus Passerina, 
and formed into a genus under the distinctive 
title of Cryptadenia, applied to them in allu- 
sion to the concealed glands which are situated 
within the tube of the flower. These are 
seen in the detached flower in our engraving, 
which is laid open to show the arrangement of 
their parts. The other species of Passerina, 
now called Cryptadenia, are P. grandiflora, 
and P. ciliata. The present plant, though for 
many years known in the condition of dried 
specimens, and cultivated since the year 1759 
in the royal garden at Kew, is yet at the 
present day comparatively scarce, notwith- 
standing that it possesses considerable beauty; 
and is, moreover, deserving of cultivation 
both on account of the profusion in which its 
blossoms are produced, and the length of time 
the plant continues in a blooming condition. 
Cryptadenia uniflora is a small twiggy, 
heath-like plant, with linear acute leaves, and 
producing its hypocrateriform pinkish lilac 
flowers singly, at the ends of the little twigs 
which are produced thickly towards the ends 
of the shoots : the flowers (hypocrateriform) 
have a small narrow tube, and a spreading 
limb, consisting of four ovate acute segments; 
this form of the flower will be easily under- 
stood by the engraving. It is a native of the 
Cape of Good Hope, and in the royal garden 
at Kew it flowers during the early summer 
months. It belongs to the natural order 
Thymeleae. 
With the other plants belonging to this 
natural order, this would doubtless associate 
in cultivation. An airy part of the green-house 
is found to be most suitable for it ; and a 
compost of equal parts of sandy loam and 
peat, together with well-drained pots, will be 
required. It is also essential, that during all 
the early stages of growth the branches should 
be frequently and fearlessly stopped— that is, 
have the tops of the young shoots removed 
before they are much elongated. It is, more- 
over, requisite that the plants should be sub- 
mitted to as much light as possible during 
their growth, and especially to solar influence 
when it is completed, for the purpose of suffi- 
ciently maturing it. 
THE ONE^SHIFT SYSTEM OF POTTING. 
After much argument, and some heat, 
exhibited by the advocates and opponents of 
this svstem, the matter seems by universal 
consent to resolve itself into this ; that there 
are some plants which grow better in large 
pots than small ones, whilst others will not. 
That in a general way, the shifts from one 
pot to another are too small ; that one shift 
from the first pot to the one they are to bloom 
in, is sufficient for annuals. This is all we 
can gather from the speeches and the writings 
about the one-shift system ; but now that com- 
plaints are made that a vast number of valu- 
able plants have been sacrificed by the adop- 
tion of the system, it becomes necessary to 
inquire whether they have been fairly treated, 
j In one establishment we observed twenty or 
thirty noble heaths dead. They were said to 
have been killed by the one-shift system. We 
are no advocates for the system, but there 
was nothing so wrong as to attribute their 
death to it. The fact was, that the plants 
having grown for years, and filled a dozen 
pots one after another, until the balls about 
their roots were all matted and hard, had been 
removed on a sudden into tubs and pots of 
enormous size. Now the one-shift system 
means, that a plant, with its roots unconfined, 
shall be put into the largest pot it is intended 
to grow in, and there is no doubt that if the 
proper conditions be supplied, it will flourish 
until it fills the pot with roots, and arrives at 
perfection. It is perfect nonsense to suppose 
that the merely taking a plant out of, perhaps 
its tenth pot, and putting it into a large tub, 
has anything to do with a system, the very 
name of which implies that we are to begin 
with a rooted cutting. We, however, condemn 
the notion altogether, that any system can be 
good for all plants, any more than any medi- 
cine can be good for all disorders. It is the 
