The Garden Under Glass

230 THE GARDEN UNDER GLASS owing to a few hours' sunshine, while beneath, the soil may be amply endowed with moisture. On the other hånd, the soil may appear moist and yet in reality be in urgent need of a renewed supply. When the leaves of a plant droop down it should be examined, and dryness will often be found to be the cause, though bright sunshine following a period of dullness, or the presence at the roots of eel-worms, wire-worms or weevils may be responsible for it. When the leaves feel flabby, when on being sharply rapped the pot gives forth a hollow sound, or when on being lifted the plant is below its normal weight, it may safely be watered. Mistakes in Watering It is a very common mistake to suppose that a plant needs water at specified times, such as once a day or three times a week. This is altogether wrong. So much in this respect depends on the vigour of the plant, the texture of the soil, the amount of root-run, the heat of the house, the state of the weather and the time of year. There is not, nor can there be, any fixed time for watering, and whoever endeavours to disregard this rule by watering at specified times will be lucky if he can keep the plants alive, and he will certainly never attain to that success which should be aimed at by every healthy gardener. To deal out the water in driblets is another all too common error. Sufficient water should be given at each time to saturate the whole of the soil occupied by the roots. Knowing as we do that it is the tiny root hairs at the extremity of the roots which assimilate the moisture, it must be our aim to reach every one of these. Other mistakes are watering plants in a cold frame when there is danger of a frost, watering hothouse plants with cold water, watering with hard water, watering newly potted or top-dressed plants without a rose or