August 6, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
115 
I could here do the same. The following is what experience and 
observation have led me to consider as the causes, but I by no 
means consider them fully satisfactory. The main cause 1 attri¬ 
bute to a close, cold, stagnant, moist atmosphere, especially in 
winter. The injurious influence is farther increased when in 
these circumstances the soil about the roots is wet rather than 
dry; and again, these influences are farther increased when the 
thing is attempted beyond keeping them, and the failures that 
then must be calculated on at times. Anything like growing in 
the first months of winter, by keeping them warm and closish, 
will receive a sad change when they mast be shut up to keep out 
the cold. In such cases much may be done by preventing growth 
when the weather is mild by abundance of air, and comparative 
dryness at the roots. But then these would be circumstances 
Fig. 20 .—Rivers’ Early Prolific Cherry, from a tree in a pot. 
plants had been previously growing in a highish average tem¬ 
perature, with only a small amount of sunshine; while after this 
cooling and damping process the sun shines rather bright for a 
few days, and we hastily think that the plants will be so fond of 
it after their cooling, that we never dream of giving them the 
slightest shade. Hence the difficulty of keeping the more tender 
of the Pelargonium section, fancy or florist, in cold pits, if any- 
different from what we have supposed to be predisposing 
causes. 
Let us glance at an imaginary case, the parallels for which 
may not unfrequently be found. These Pelargoniums after 
standing, as was quite right, in the sun until the wood has 
hardened, giving them but little water in the meantime, were 
cut down at the end of July, were placed . j shady place, and a 
