o4! THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



grown, is to secure nice healthy plants as early as possible in the 

 spring — say February ; not mere varieties which first come to hand. 

 I always contend it is as easy to grow the best of everything in its 

 own class as it is to grow inferior ones. I admit there is a difficulty 

 for an amateur commencing to know which are the best ; he must 

 therefore rely upon the recommendation of some friend cognisant of 

 this matter, or else place himself in the hands of a salesman, who 

 will recommend him such flowers as are well known for their sterling 

 merits, and not give novelty for the sake of the thing. To a be- 

 ginner who would not require more than six plants, I should 

 recommend the following : — 



1. Dr. Lindley, orange scarlet. 2. Beaute des Suresnes, lively 

 rose pink. 3. "White Perfection, pure white, 4. Madame Ninette 

 Sachero, salmon suffused with scarlet. 5. Fair Rosamond, salmon, 

 crimson centre, white margin. 6. ^stival, bright rose cerise. If 

 twelve plants and twelve varieties are required, add — 7. Inquisitor, 

 brilliant scarlet. 8. Eunice, rosy scarlet. 9. Marion, soft pink. 

 10. Marechal Forey, deep scarlet, white eye. 11. Roi de Italic, 

 orange i^haded rosy salmon. 12. Beauty, white salmon, tinted 

 centre ; or Masterpiece, rose salmon shaded. 



The above are all finely-shaped flowers, bold and solid trusses, 

 free habit, and good growth, possessing good foliage, and are not 

 to be beaten in their respective colours. 



Supposing, then, plants are in possession, and only in 48 or 

 GO size pots, and require shifting, the most suitable soil (and which 

 must be procured if not at hand) would be to mix up a bushel — 

 one-third loam of a yellowish turfy nature, or from the top spit of 

 an old pasture laid up for two years and turned over to the action 

 of the atmosphere, one-third of thoroughly decayed manure from 

 an old cucumber bed, or, what is better, cow dung well weathered, 

 one-third silver sand, with a good proportion of fine charcoal and 

 peat earth, cocoa refuse, or leaf-mould. It is not well to give too 

 great a shift at first ; if well rooted in a 48 pot, the change from a 

 48 to a 24 will not be too great — pots which have been well burnt 

 and new ones are preferable, at the bottom of which cover the hole 

 with an inverted oyster-shell or piece of crock, over which, to 

 preserve good drainage, take either the coarse siftings of peat or 

 turf, about the average size of a walnut, and on the . top of which 

 lay a few pieces of charcoal with about two dozen pieces of half- 

 inch bones or a small quantity of bone-dust ; transpose the plant, 

 first carefully removing all the crocks it previously had ; fill up 

 and around firmly with prepared soil ; place in a frame or green- 

 house as near to the glass as possible, in a temperature of 50" to 

 60" Fahrenheit, allowing air pure and fresh to circulate freely about 

 each plant on all occasions. If the plant is intended for exhibition 

 in June, it will require shifting in April into the desired size pot 

 or pan ; and to make the shoots pliable, and to bring it into what- 

 ever form or shape is thought best, delay giving water till the 

 shoots show signs of withering ; a slight twist with a tye will bring 

 it to the required place. The most desirable form of an exhibition 

 table would be that of a mushroom shape. I would strongly urge 



