352 PLANTS IN POTS. [chap. xi. 
so that the bole or collar may be just above 
the level of the rim. The new earth is then 
put in, and the pot shaken to make it settle. 
The plant is then slightly watered, and set 
aside in the shade for the rest of the day. 
Plants should never be repotted when in 
flower; the best time is indeed when they 
are growing, till their flower buds begin to 
swell, when they should be allowed to remain 
undisturbed till the flowering season is com¬ 
pletely over. Sometimes the soil in a pot 
looks black, and covered with moss. When 
this is the case, the plant should be turned 
out of the pot, and the black sodden earth 
partly shaken off the roots, which should be 
pruned, and should have all their decayed 
parts cut off. The plant should then be 
repotted in another pot of the same, or nearly 
the same, size as the one it was taken from, 
which should be well drained, and filled up 
with a compost of vegetable mould, sand, 
and peat. Thus treated, and only mode¬ 
rately but regularly watered with warm 
water, which should never be allowed to 
stand in the saucer, the plant will soon 
recover; and if judiciously pruned in, if it 
