180 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 5. 
and-a half-inch pot, in whicli it Had passed the winter. 
It will then be beginning to grow, and will require 
potting. Let it remain in the pot, after the journey, for 
a week or two, and in the mean time prepare the soil, 
crocks, and new pot for it. 
Soil. —This plant thrives host in a compost, seven- 
eighths of which is nice, kind, fibry sandy-peat, pulled 
in pieces with the hand, and the other part, sandy-loam 
and leaf-mould, the whole well mixed, but not sifted. 
It will not thrive in heavy soil at all; neither will it 
keep a good colour in all peat. If the soil is too rich, 
it will grow well for a time, hut will not flower freely, 
nor live long. Let this compost have silver-sand 
liberally mixed with it till it is quite of a sandy character, 
and let it he neither wet nor dry when used. This 
compost being properly prepared, and in good order, 
then break a sufficient quantity of potsherds into three 
sizes—a large one to cover the hole, a few larger to cover 
it with, and a larger quantity, about the size of Marrow 
Peas, to place on the large sizes. Lastly, take a new 
pot, two inches wider than the one it is in, and propor¬ 
tionately deeper; proceed to drain it by covering the 
hole; but take care the piece of pot does not fit the 
bottom quite close. 1 always prop it up on one side 
with a thin piece of slate or pot. Lay the second 
larger size upon it, till you cannot see it, and then a 
layer of the smaller. The whole will probably occupy 
an inch space, or rather more. Upon the last lay a 
covering of the rougher parts of the compost selected out 
for the purpose. Upon that scatter a little silver-sand, 
and, if such a thing is handy, a few small pieces of 
charcoal; this is, however, 1 consider, not indis¬ 
pensable. Then place as muoli of the compost as will 
raise the ball nearly level with the rim. The pot is 
then ready for the plant. Turn it out of the old pot, 
keeping the ball entire. Pick out the old drainage, and 
rub off'gently the surface-soil down to the roots. Then 
place it in the new pot, and fill around the ball the fresh 
compost till the pot is quite full, pressing it down gently, 
as the operation of filling goes on, and, finally, give the 
pot two or three smart strokes on the bench to settle the 
soil, leaving a space of about lmlf-an-inch to hold water, 
sufficient to wet the whole when it requires it. 
Summer Management. —As soon as the potting is 
finished, place the plant, together with the Acropliyllum 
venosum, in a house where a few degrees more of heat is 
given. If, however, there is no such convenience, then 
place such somewhat delicate plants at one end of the 
greenhouse, and keep the front windows close, giving air 
only at the back to let out the heat. The plants will 
grow well, though not so quickly as in a house of higher 
temperature. Like that plant (the Acropliyllum) the 
Borouia will not keep in health where draughts of cold 
air are allowed to play through it. Keep it in the 
greenhouse ail through the summer, only shade it from 
the sun from ten o’clock till four. Be careful with the 
water-pot; too much will be as injurious as too little. 
If the plants grow rapidly, and fill the pot with roots, 
then give a second shift in June, not later; and stop 
the shoots twic6 during the season, once in May, and 
again iu July. 
Winter Treatment. — Commence, in September, to 
gradually harden the plant to bear the change of the 
season, by lessening the quantity of water and lowering 
the temperature of the house; but always keep this 
plant, and such-like, from cold draughts. By this 
management, this beautiful plant may be grown to 
perfection. 
Propagation. —I publish, as a fact, that this plant is 
easy to propagate. I have seen pots thickly set with 
cuttings, every one struck. The secret, if it is one, 
consists in choosing the right kinds of cuttings; they 
should be quite young, not too long; each cutting should 
hive all the leaves, excepting three cut off'with a very 
sharp knife. The cutting-pot should he prepared in the 
way I have often described; that is, well drained, filled 
with the same soil in which the plants grow, with an 
inch of sand at the top ; and then covered with a bell- 
glass, and placed in heat, and shaded from the sun. 
Shift the glass off as soon as the cuttings begin to grow, 
and pot them oft' in very tiny pots as soon as they have 
made roots, shading them again till they are established. 
T. Appleby. 
YOUNG GARDENERS. 
i 
(Continued from page 122 .) 
I am very glad to find that my friends receive my 
remarks and advice in the best spirit, and such being 
the case, 1 am induced to continue these papers. 
In my last, I directed their attention to acquiring 
some skill in the art of Drawing; and this week, ac¬ 
cording to my original division of the matter, Arithmetic, 
Geometry, and Land-surveying will occupy the Wednes¬ 
day evening. 
These arts and sciences are exceedingly useful to a 
gardener. Take the first to begin with. Procure any 
cheap work on the subject. A young gardener, whose 
name appears in this number, recommends Cassell’s; 
and, as the price is within the means of any careful 
young lad, it may be as good as any, though I have not 
seen it. Arithmetic, or the science of numbers, is a 
very pleasing study, because it demonstrates the truth, 
and exercises the judgment and the memory. I need 
not insist upon its utility, for everybody allows it. A 
gardener cannot keep the account of the expenses of 
the garden, pay wages, and order seeds, without a 
knowledge of this most necessary and useful science. 
Study then, thoroughly, in the first place, the four 
elementary rules of Addition, Subtraction, Multiplica¬ 
tion, and Division. With a thorough knowledge of 
these four rules, all the rest will be comparatively easy. 
The first thing to do, is to firmly fix in the memory the 
rules by which the sums are worked. If any one sum 
appears difficult, repeat the rule by which the sum, 
or sums, are to be worked, and by attending to the 
principles of the rule, the answer will certainly be 
found. Never despair; but try again and again, and 
the answer will come correct at last. Some minds are 
naturally quicker at this study than others, it is true; 
but the patient, persevering student will, iu time, 
acquire the art of working Arithmetical questions, if not 
quickly, yet surely. The grand point is never to relax, 
unless from illness, the pursuit. Having set a time for 
this, or any other study, make it a point to constantly 
devote that time, and no other, to this branch of study. 
When you are satisfied that you thoroughly under¬ 
stand Arithmetic, then procure a second-hand copy of 
Euclid, and commence the study of Geometry, which 
is the science of quantities and figures; without a 
knowledge of this, you will never be able to survey land, 
and draw correct maps ; but having mastered the first 
difficulties, the rest will be easy. These two, Arithmetic 
and Geometry, are said to bo the right and left hand of 
Mathematics. 
Now, Geometry may be commenced before the whole 
of Arithmetic is gone through. I mean, give the three 
hours of one night to Geometry, and the two following 
Wednesday nights to Arithmetic; and when the latter is 
fairly mastered, then take in Land-surveying, us a third 
night’s study; only mind this, do not take any other 
night iu the week for these studies. Variety is not only 
pleasing, but useful. The mind is ever active, if kept 
in constant use; but if too much stretched and employed 
on one study, it becomes not only wearied, but abso¬ 
lutely weakened. By a change of studies, on the 
