166 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN aUIDB. 



the capabilities of plants of any class, no matter what, a certain 

 amount of knowledge, combined with practice and patience, is neces- 

 sary to attain to very successful results. In case any of my readers 

 should happen to fail in succeeding to the extent of their expecta- 

 tions, I can only say that they must not blame the system which I 

 advocate, but rather consider whether they have not neglected one 

 or more of the cultural details upon which, likely enough, the whole 

 matter hangs. Success in growing plants is never attained without 

 a close attention to minor matters ; for, however vast a cultivator's 

 knowledge may be, unless he carries his knowledge into execution, 

 his plants will never do him much credit. 



Calceolarias of the herbaceous section are generally raised from 

 seed every year, which perhaps, taking all things into consideration, 

 is the best plan for ordinary decorative purposes; but there is no 

 reason why the best plants should not be propagated annually from 

 cuttings, for they strike readily with ordinary care, and the cultivator 

 has this advantage with cuttings, that he knows what he is growing, 

 and no one would propagate worthless kinds. With seed there is 

 always a certain risk, more or less, according to the quality ; but 

 with seed from first-rate strains, there need be but little fear upon 

 this head, for there will be but few inferior flowers, and they are 

 showy, and help to bring out the superiority of the others. Unless 

 seed from the best strains can be afforded, I should advise amateurs, 

 or, in fact, growers of all classes, to save their own, then they have 

 no one to blame but themselves if they have inferior flowers. 



Seed saving is not such an extremely difiicult aflair as is generally 

 imagined, though it is attended with some little trouble. To make 

 sure of seed, every flower will require fertilizing ; but this is an easy 

 matter, for, on examining the flowers,| the pistil will be readily- 

 observed, standing straight out in the centre of two stamens. The 

 pollen must be removed from the stamens with the point of a fine 

 camel's-hair brush, and be placed upon the stigma. When this is 

 done the process is complete. To attain the best results, it 'is neces- 

 sary to observe that, if the flowers from which the pollen is obtained, 

 or the seed saved, are defective, whether in shape, size, or colour, an 

 inferior progeny will be the natural result. The seed-bearing 

 parent should have fine, large, well-shaped flowers, and the pollen 

 parent should be selected for pure bright colour, or distinct mark- 

 ings ; if of good size and shape so much the better. The plants 

 should be kept in a cool and airy house until the seed is ripe, and 

 the seed-pods must be taken off, and laid upon clean sheets of paper 

 before they burst, or the seed will be lost. Plants from which the 

 seed is obtained seldom do much good towards furnishing cuttings, 

 therefore it is as well to throw them away as soon as the crop is 

 gathered. 



Those plants which are intended to furnish cuttings should have 

 the flower-stalks removed immediately the beauty of the flower is 

 past, and the plants plunged into a bed of ashes, or cocoa-nut fibre 

 refuse, in the shade, but not under trees, for the deficientiy of light 

 and drip of moisture combined would kill them long before the time 

 for taking off the cuttings had arrived. It is hardly necessary for 



