ERICA; ITS MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE. 243 
high as possible, with a slight shading; remove the lights and 
shade about three o’clock, and leave them perfectly open as 
before : pursue the same course till the end ol July, when they 
may be placed in any cool but not shady situation, so that the 
wood may have sufficient time to ripen, before they are placed 
in their winter-quarters. With the large specimen plants a safe 
and more easy plan should be adopted; in a somewhat exposed 
situation, erect a temporary span roof, sufficiently large to 
cover the space the plants intended to be put out will occupy, 
and also strong enough to support rollers covered with thin 
canvas, such as is generally used for shading; but it is not for 
this purpose alone that the rollers will be of service: they will, 
when let down, afford a sufficient protection from heavy rains. 
Before placing the plants, put plenty of material down to insure 
a good drainage; on this, plunge the plants nearly to the rim, 
in coal-ashes, or any similar material, putting the largest plants 
in the centre, and gradually sloping them to the front. In this 
situation, they will stand during the summer with safety; they 
can be shaded or exposed at pleasure, and are as safe from 
heavy rains, comparatively speaking, as if they were kept in a 
house, which in general is injurious to this tribe, as there are 
few structures whose means of admitting air is sufficient to 
keep them from “ drawing.” The same routine of management 
should be followed with these as previously described for the 
younger plants, viz. syringing and shading during the summer 
growth ; subsequently allowing the sun to have full action upon 
them. To make the plants grow dwarf and bushy, they should 
be frequently “ stopped,” by means of pinching off the tops of 
the leading: shoots: examine the roots two or three times in 
the season, to see they are not suffering for want of pot room. 
When a heath is growing luxuriantly there is little fear of over¬ 
watering it, and therefore by no means allow it to suffer for want 
of that element. During winter, however, there is some nicety 
required in watering, and great care must be taken lest they are 
given too much. When necessary, at this season, they ought to 
get a good watering, and as seldom as possible. The most evil 
consequences arise by watering these often, and but a little at 
a time, because the small quantity given will not penetrate 
through one third of the soil, and the bottom becomes quite dry 
whilst the top is saturated. More plants are injured by this 
