THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
334 
[FebUttar'S 27. 
extended observation, habitual attention to tritles, and 
many practical experiments. Far, therefore, from un¬ 
dervaluing first principles, we would yet suggest, that 
they alone will not constitute a royal road to success in 
gardening. Here, as well as in most cases, excellence 
is the result of right-directed labour, and unwearied 
industry. 
These remarks will apply to several correspondents, 
whose cases, as opportunity offers, I shall gladly endea¬ 
vour to meet. The heading of our article to-day, is 
owing to the following question—“ Are the instructions 
(where no top or bottom-heat is applied) to shift plants, 
such as Geraniums, Verbenas, Calceolarias, Cinerarias, 
&c., &c., in March, and even after that time, to be fol¬ 
lowed?” Our friend tells us that he has hitherto done 
so without comprehending the principle or physiology 
of the operation; that* he was generally rewarded with 
leaves, and with hut little bloom, and thinks that some 
simple explanation might ho given as to whether plants 
that had filled their pots with roots were to he shifted 
or not. 
Now, here it will be obvious, that no definite instruc¬ 
tion can he given to suit every case. The manner in 
which a plant blooms, the period at which that bloom 
is wanted, the mode in which it is desirable to secure it, 
whether from small plants for a window, or large mas¬ 
sive specimens for a greenhouse, must all be taken into 
consideration, along with the question of time, as, if 
commencing with a young plant, the sooner we expect a 
return in the shape of bloom, the smaller the specimen 
we must he satisfied with. And yet the principle on 
which we would base operations, frequently seemingly 
different, is one and identical, namely, that in vegeta¬ 
tion, continued luxuriance in growth is opposed to fe¬ 
cundity in flowers and fruit; in other words, whatever 
tends to the free production of leaves and leaf-buds, 
militates against the production of flower-buds. You 
want a simple illustration ; walk into some old orchard 
in the spring, and observe which is the apple-tree most 
densely covered with bloom. It is not one that is young 
and vigorous, hut some old weather-beaten centenarian, 
stunted and fiat-headed, scarcely able to send out a 
green leaf amidst its masses of rosy flowers. Every 
plant is a separate, independent existence,—yes, but it is 
more; that existence is composed of an assemblage of 
individualities, in the shape of leaf-buds, each of which, 
when separated from its neighbours, is capable of be¬ 
coming an existence similar, in every respect, to its 
parent. Whenever, from want of space, arrival at ma¬ 
turity, from natural or artificial causes, there is an 
obstruction to the production of leaf-buds, nature imme¬ 
diately puts forth an effort, in another direction, to per¬ 
petuate the race, by means of flower-buds followed by 
seeds. The same principle is applicable in the animal 
as well as in the vegetable world. Fecundity is encou¬ 
raged by a deficiency of fat, not by the plethoric state. 
Stock farmers understand this well. The same principle 
guided Mr. Errington to the valuable discovery of root- 
pruning fruit-trees. It was beautiful to see pear-trees 
i rivalling the trees of the forest in luxuriance, and pro- 
i ducing beautiful timber; but, somehow, our teeth could 
not masticate the wood, though they would have luxu¬ 
riated in grinding a melting pear; only, under the old 
system, we could hardly expect to get them plentifully 
from trees of our own planting, until our hairs were 
telling a certain tale. Ry shallow borders, by poor soil, 
by curbing the roots, by cutting them when too great 
luxuriance appeared, the sun and air had less to do in 
maturing and elaborating the juices, and thus we were 
presented with fruit instead of shoots. 
A similar principle, under a different mode of develop¬ 
ment, must regulate our treatment of flowering plants. 
We want the tree blooming of the old apple-tree, with¬ 
out its decrepitude and appearance of decay. We want 
as much luxuriance as will convey the idea of perfect 
health, and yet will not interfere with the size and 
number of the blossoms. To effect this, there will be 
no necessity, except in extreme cases of luxuriance, for ; 
the pruuing-knife at the roots; all can be accomplished 
by soil poor or rich, water clear, or strong with manure, | 
and a complete understanding of the object of potting, 
and the peculiar habits of the plant. 
The peculiarity of the plants to be treated, must form 
the groundwork of the application of the principle— 
luxuriance is opposed to fertility. Hence, as a conse¬ 
quence of that principle, plants never flower so well as 
when their pots or tubs are crammed with roots. When¬ 
ever the roots reach the sides of the pot, and are kept 
safe there, an obstruction to growth is given: and, as I 
they cross and recross each other, contending lustily for | 
an outlet—provided a due exposure to sun and air is 
afforded — a concentrating and accumulating process, : 
instead of an expanding one, commences, resulting in j 
the development of fruit or flower-buds. Other things, 
therefore, being equal, the finest blooms are often pro- | 
duced from comparatively small pots ; and size for size, 
and weight for weight, more in a proportional ratio, is 
obtained from a small pot, well attended to, than from 
a larger one. Of course, the brilliancy of a fine, large, 
well-flowered specimen, is not to be expected, but the 
small one may be ns perfect in its way. 
Our friends (for it is for numbers, and not for one, we 
discuss this question) will be pretty well able to discover 
whether they should repot their plants or not. If the 
pots are full of roots, and they want early bloom, they 
must not attempt to repot them. If flower-buds are 
formed, you would, in many cases, render them weak, or 
cause them to go blind (a technical expression for im¬ 
perfect flowers) by the check given them in the opera¬ 
tion, and when that check was over, and luxuriant 
growth had commenced, you would have to wait until 
the same process of filling the pots with roots was 
repeated before you could expect a fine head of bloom. 
The object you aim at, and the capabilities of the plant, 
must constitute your basis of operation. 
Let us, if possible, illustrate this still farther. Here 
is a plant with large leaves, that throws up a flower- 
stem from the base of these leaves, where they are united 
into a something between a short stem and a bulb—a 
Bletia, for instance. The more luxuriant the leaves 
this year, if well exposed to light, so as to lodge highly 
elaborated matter, the better will it bloom the next. 
Good soil and manure-water is, therefore, given in sum¬ 
mer, and all' necessary potting attended to, and the 
plant is rested a little during the winter, and then when 
the stimulus of heat and moisture is applied in the j 
spring, the flower-stems rise strong and vigorous. Shift ! 
that same plant into a larger pot in spring, and ten to 
one, though the leaves would get more luxuriant, the I 
flower-stems would be weak and puny. Again, there is 
the Epacris . its mode of flowering resembles the Peach ; 
when cut down after flowering, the fresh shoots made 
are those that will bloom next year. If shifting is | 
necessary, you may give it at once or several times 
during the summer, according to your fancy, provided 
the pots are getting full of roots before winter, and more 
full before they flower in spring. Shifting just before 
blooming is out of the question. 
Again, here is a tribe of plants tliat produce splendid 
umbels or racemes of flowers upon strong sturdy shoots 
of the current year's growth; witness the Glerodendritrn. 
Here, on starting, you may pot into the blooming pot at 
once, or you may shift and reshift, provided you obtain 
a luxuriant, stubby growth, and have the roots ldssiny 
the side of the pot by the time the flower-buds appear. 
Did you shift when the flower-bud was forming, you 
would not only weaken it, but would throw a too great 
strength into the leaves. Then, as respects the plants 
