sandstone bi'oken small. 
^. 
CULTtTEE OF THE GENUS CHOEOZEMA. 
horse beans, one part ; -svith sufficient gi'itty sand to make tlie -whole, when mixed together, hght and 
porous. Time 'svas, and that hut a year or two hack, -when cultivators, to secm-e porosity, used the 
soil in rough pieces, and " a down westwai'd" cultirator, to show the strength of his affection, has 
recommended pieces the size of a brick. Thus, though this served the pm'pose of growing the plants 
rapidly for a short time, they soon became imhealthy, for, the compost being deficient in sihcious 
matter, fiom the impossibility of mixing the sand with the coarse pieces of tm-f, it soon became 
unhealthy, and hence the plants were brought to a premature end, much to the disappointment of 
the cultivator, whose labours were cut short just at the time when his anticipations were at 
the highest pitch. Now, those who understand the mixtui-e of composts, pursue an opposite course, 
and, after selecting their soil, and divesting it of all superfluous and inert matter, they break 
it into small pieces, so that the whole will pass thi'ough the meshes of a half-inch seive ; 
and secm-e porosity by the intimate admixture of sand, potsherds, charcoal or soft porous 
In this way the compost is of the same qualitv throughout ; and hence the 
roots receive neither check nor change of 
food, but when large pieces are interspersed 
through the mass, the roots of the plants 
either avoid entering them altogether, or 
by entering them, are subject to constant 
changes. This is the rock upon wliich the 
advocates of " the accumulative," " the one 
shift,'' and " the lai-ge shift" potting system 
foundered ; they got plants to grow rapidly 
for a time, but that time was limited, and 
at the end of it, death was the finale. 
Let us not he misunderstood. In repu- 
diating the rough compost, and the one 
shift, we do not disapprove of a large shift, 
but we would enter om- protest at once and 
for ever against the use of rough compost. 
Look to nature, the piimteval clod, do we 
find it hke a honeycomb, loose and open 
like a basket for Orchids ? No. But do we 
not on the contrary, while it is svjficienthj 
permeable for the free ingress of air and 
water, find that it is fu-m and compact, and 
sufficiently solid to prevent the changes of 
eveiy breeze that blows. In this way pro- 
gress is compai-atively slow, but certain ; 
and the plants, instead of progi'essing with great rapidity for a time, produce sti'ong, healthy, 
thoroughly matured wood, and dwarf compact growth, yielding abundance of bloom ; and which 
abide with you for years. But to return to oui' young plants: — Having prepared your compost 
examine the roots of the plants, and if they are strong and healthy, prepare a pot two sizes larger, 
and after draining it properly proceed to pot yom- plants, placing some of the roughest part of the 
compost over the di'ainage, and proceeding to fill up firmly with the finer soil. 
The best place for the plants after potting is a close frame or pit, taking care to ventilate ii-eely, 
but to keep a moist atmosphere, and to shut the frame up for an hour or two every evening, hut open 
it again either partly or wholly before retii'ing for the night. In this way the plants will make 
rapid progress, and therefore due attention must be paid to stopping the rude shoots so as to induce 
close compact and healthy growth. If the plants progi'css as they ought to do, they will probably 
requii'e a second shift during the season, and indeed, if you wish to make the most of yom- time, the 
plants may be kept gi'owing slowly until the winter fairly sets in, at which time they should be brought 
to a state of rest. In the second year some of the plants will produce a nice head of bloom ; 
but, in order to secui'e rapid growth, remove the bloom buds when quite young, and keep the 
plants vigorously growing through the second season. For potting, no general rule or time can be 
specified ; if a plant is in good health, and the pot full of roots, a shift any time between Christmas 
and October will not injure it, but never shift a plant until the pot is full of vigorous roots, and take 
special care that the roots do not become matted before you shift the plants. 
Manure water in a weak state may be used with advantage to hard -wooded plants of all kinds, 
7^^- -g\g 
cnOEOZEMA coRDATA : STOwTi at Kcw. 
r. 
