224 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ October, 
Peach house, and then put on the lights, but give plenty of air both day and 
night. Remove all the old ligatures and clean the trees of everything likely to 
harbour the eggs or larvae of insects, then give them a dressing of the following 
mixture :—soft-soap, sulphur, clay, and tobacco-water, reduced to the consistency 
of paint with warm water ; when this is dry, the shoot should be neatly tied 
down to the trellis. Towards the end of the month, when the leaves are all off 
the trees in the late house, any pruning required should be done, and the lights 
put on before the bad weather sets in. Pinch all runners off Strawberries as 
they appear ; the plants will not require much water at present, as the forming 
and perfecting of the crowns is now the principal point, and for this dryness is 
essential. Maintain a steady heat to Cucumbers and Melons , and give air at 
every favourable opportunity.—M. Saul, Stourton. 
ON POTTING WINDOW PLANTS. 
5 (THEN are we tore-pot our plants?’’—a very proper inquiry. As a 
txJ rule, don’t re-pot them when they are showing their flower-buds, else 
possibly they will all fall off. Don’t repot them in the winter, when 
nature is having a snooze; she is very near akin to humanity, and. 
does not like her rest to be disturbed. As a general rule, the Spring-time is the- 
best, when nature’s energies may be said to rouse into activity, then is she best 
prepared to repair all damages which occur in the operation. In the Spring¬ 
time—say in the month of April—if the pot in which a plant is growing is small 
in proportion to the size of the plant, and it evidently requires a larger pot, care¬ 
fully turn the plant upside down, and tap the pot-edge gently on the table, and 
the ball of earth and roots will come out on the palm of your hand, a perfect 
representative in shape of the pot it was grown in. It may appear to be nearly all 
roots, but as the greater part of these will be dead, although here and there there- 
will be young active roots just forming, use care. Remove the potsherds at the 
bottom, and in doing so make a note of what you see, namely, that these open 
fragments will be full of roots—old roots, it is true, and possibly dead by this 
time—but they have had their use, and learn therefrom that this open material 
has an important value ; and further that roots, however much they dislike the 
light, and consequently always grow earthward, like a little air, and the moist 
air that fills up the space between this material is just what they revel in. After- 
having carefully dislodged the open material from the roots, and loosened the ball 
of earth by working gently with the fingers at the lower part of the ball, the- 
plant will be ready for its new quarters. I presume, of course, that before you 
have proceeded thus far you have a pot somewhat larger ready for its reception ; 
and if not a new one, it should be well washed, quite as much for the benefit oh 
the plant as for appearance’ sake. Don’t forget the lesson you learned about 
drainage : put some hard open material in the bottom of the pot, lay over it a bit 
of moss, or failing this, a few of the dead or decaying leaves of the plant; these 
will prevent the soil filling up the crevices, and thus destroying the value of this 
