70 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 8. 
in tlie open ground, not only because their love for 
the pursuit will thus be increased, and their practical 
skill advanced, hut also because such plants are often 
associated with times and circumstances, with, hopes 
and disappointments, with joys and sorrows; com¬ 
bined with reminiscences of the graceful in beauty, 
and the manly, noble in character, around which it is 
often beneficial for memory to muse and linger. 
“ Well, now, what am 1 to do with such plants as 
I wish to preserve even at this late period'?” says a 
sprightly companion, not long since, at my elbow; “ I 
took up a few some time ago, according to Mr. Bea¬ 
ton’s instructions, to whom we are all so much in¬ 
debted, and I think I shall at least be a little more 
fortunate than Mr. Savage has been with your system 
of fumigating; and I would have taken up more, but 
they looked so nice and beautiful where they were, 
and even now full of bud and bloom, as they are in 
the very end of October, I would not touch them, 
only I know that frost is coming; and then there are 
those pretty scarlet geraniums, from which I have 
neglected to take even a cutting, though I should like 
to rival Harry Moore next summer; and there is that 
beautiful yellow calceolaria, given to me by sister 
Jane; those pretty, sweet, cherry-pie heliotropes, the 
gift of cousin Dick ; and those fine plants of the Vic¬ 
toria and nosegay fancy geraniums, presented by- 
—you will find out some of these days—all of which, 
and many more, I should wish to preserve, and in 
such a state that they might enliven my windows, or 
my little greenhouse, during winter and spring.” 
Judging that this is not a solitary case, we will 
endeavour to do something to solve the difficulty. 
We will not even tantalise you by stating that you 
would have acted wisely to have reared some cut¬ 
tings of your favourites in August and September, 
as a dozen of most of them might have been pre¬ 
served all the winter in a six-inch pot, and would 
have made fine plants early next season, if you could 
have found the room to pot them off singly; for we 
have felt ourselves that it went a little against the 
grain when we could only receive a little instruction 
by being previously well lectured upon our short¬ 
comings and deficiencies. But we shall allude to your 
plants out of doors—which we hope are as healthy 
as ours still are—as the only quarter from whence 
you can hope to preserve your stock, and get some 
assistance for enlivening the greenhouse during 
winter. 
Leaving the scarlet geraniums for the present, we 
shall describe the proper treatment for all others— 
and especially of those which make root fibres plenti¬ 
fully—under two different circumstances, such as 
where there is nothing but window and greenhouse, 
and secondly, when, in addition to these, there is a 
frame or pot. 
In the first place, then, it is of importance at this 
season of the year, when wet generally prevails, to 
choose dry weather for taking up your plants, as 
when the soil is wet large lumps are apt to fall from 
the ball, and take the roots along with them, while 
your success will depend upon the number of fibres 
you save. When great quantities are taken up, they 
are generally wheeled in barrow-loads to the potting 
shed; but in some cases, where a limited number are 
operated upon, and especially in the case of fine 
specimens, success, as respects each of which, is a 
matter of importance, we would recommend taking 
the necessary light friable soil, and the intended 
pots well drained, to the plants; then lifting them 
carefully, by easing them all round with a spade, 
picking away any loose earth carefully, so as not to 
injure the roots, and yet lessen the size of the ball; and 
placing the ball in a pot large enough for it. Do not 
jam together any fibres and roots outside of the ball, 
but arrange them nicely in layers among the fresh 
soil. Water well to settle the earth, and fill the 
roots with moisture. Set the plants in a rather 
shady place; prevent evaporation from the foliage in 
bright or dry weather by slight shading, and slight 
sprinklings of water over the foliage by the syringe, 
not setting them fully exposed in window or green¬ 
house until the root action has been again restored. 
By such means you may save your plants; but you 
must not lose heart if in many cases you are forced 
to cut off many or most of the flowers, if on others 
a portion of the leaves should fall, and in some the 
plants should bid you good-bye altogether. 
In the second place, if you have a spare frame or 
pit, you may not only save your pi ants but the foliage, 
and the bloom and flower buds besides, if you only 
take the same trouble with the plants as we have re¬ 
commended where no such conveniences exist. We 
say the same trouble, as it is best to err on the safe 
side, though there is no necessity for being so very 
careful about the roots, as the plants will soon be put 
in a position to make fresh ones. The secret of your 
success here will depend not so much upon your 
ability to check evaporation from the leaves, by shad¬ 
ing, and syringing, and keeping the plants close, as 
from having it in your power to plunge the pots in a 
mild bottom heat, and thus encourage the protrusion 
of fresh root-feeders to take the place of those that 
have unavoidably been snapped in raising the plants 
out of the ground. But mind, we do not wish you 
to treat the plants as if they were tropical gentlemen; 
if you do, you will run the risk of having them cast¬ 
ing their leaves and throwing up spindly, instead of 
sturdy, shoots. We recommend the roots to be placed 
in a temperature of from 70° to 80°, for a certain 
time, for a definite purpose, but the heads of the 
plants must be kept cool during the whole period, by 
having a circulation of air among them night and 
day in mild weather. In a very sunny day, when 
you are forced to shade and syringe, still have the air 
on. As soon as the plants will stand the sun, with a 
slight sprinkle from the syringe, let the shading be 
dispensed with, and roots will sooner be formed. In 
the course of a fortnight or three weeks, if all has 
gone well, abundance of fresh roots will be found, 
which you can see by turning a plant out of its 
pot. They must nop however, even then be trans¬ 
ferred at once to the dry shelf of a window or 
greenhouse, but the pots should be lifted by degrees 
out of the medium in which they are plunged, and 
be set for a few days previously on the surface of the 
bed. By such means we have taken up many and 
large plants in the end of October and the early part 
of November, that scarcely ever feel their moving, but 
there must be no carelessness or inattention to the 
minuticB of the affair. This simple matter of bottom 
heat, when rigldy applied and understood, will be 
seen to constitute the philosophy for many gardening 
operations, as respects hardy as well as tender plants. 
But, then, how obtain it ? Is there not a great 
trouble in getting fermenting matter, and turning it 
and sweetening it weeks beforehand? Oh, no; for 
all such matters we make very short work of it. You 
have got a cucumber or melon box, empty now, that 
was set upon abed of dung—nothing better; while off 
the soil it will be useful for many purposes. Take 
out an opening a foot in depth of the decayed dung, 
place in the opening as much of fresh dung from 
the stable, or, what is better, a little more of the 
