THE FLORIST. 
273 
hend in the term the atmosphere also, its condition being of at least 
equal, if not of greater importance, than that of the soil itself; a fact 
which is too much overlooked by florists. 
The readers of The Florist will bear me record, that, when I said 
that water should be withheld in hot droughty weather, when the 
atmosphere is dry, it was on account of its use increasing still 
further the evils of drought, and explained at length the theory and 
principles on which artificial watering produced its injurious effects, 
—the visible and evident results being, the speedy destruction and 
turning yellow of the foliage, the effect of the incongruous practice, 
which places in extreme antagonism, or opposition, the atmosphere 
and the soil, the roots of the plant and its foliage. In the cultivation 
of plants, gardeners ever observe, “ What little good artificial watering 
seems to do” in droughty weather; whilst many varieties suffer 
evident injury, and are rather retarded thereby. 
I much fear lest ‘ Experimens’ should be one of those routine 
florists to whom, I rightly prognosticated, my new principles of 
treatment would prove “ a hard saying;” so that he brooks not the 
disturbance of time-endeared notions, and would rather cast about 
for other and mystic causes of my successful results,—as, in the 
inquiry, was there nothing in the age of the roots, nothing peculiar 
in the subsoil, no secret springs, no dew - distilling shade, &c. ? 
<£ Wash and be clean,” was too unostentatious a miracle for Naaman ; 
“ shade, and cover the surface of the Ranunculus-bed with moss, 
sand, or bark, to keep in and preserve its natural moisture,” is too 
simple a plan for ‘ Experimens!’ and he still insists on the “ utility” 
and the “ necessity” of artificial watering. Yet its inutility in 
securing “ a bloom” was generally made manifest this last season; 
while the “ necessity” of its employment is refuted, not alone by my 
own extended experience, but by the fact, that also, in this last season, 
I obtained a general and profuse bloom, when all others around me, 
who resorted to artificial watering, failed. I certainly did not con¬ 
sider that the flowers were of so large a size, or so rich and distinct 
in colour, as in moist and favourable summers, “ as nothing can fully 
compensate for a droughty season.” I may add, in further reply, that 
the “ sorts” were seedlings of from one to five years’ growth, to¬ 
gether with some of the old varieties, kept for seed; whilst the soil, 
situation, making up of the bed, and general management, were 
exactly as recommended in my Treatise, save that the bed received 
the sun till three o'clock in the afternoon. 
If, in the pleasant occupation of a leisure moment, what I have 
written in the pages of The Florist may possibly be allowed to possess 
any interest, your readers will judge for themselves; but, while I lay 
no claim to infallibility, thus much I may be permitted to state, that 
itiy communications are at least the results of observation, experience, 
and experiment; hence do I not feel satisfied with a correspondent’s 
mere denial of a fact or position, without he can, at the same time, 
refute or shew the fallacy of the reasoning or principles on which 
such facts and statements have been founded. I would dismiss the 
subject with the remark, that, when a writer authenticates his ob- 
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