THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 281 



being kept in a close atmosphere, and also of fire-heat. They ought 

 not to have any more than is sufficient to keep the frost out. I must 

 say a few words about the soil, and then bring this to a conclusion. 

 The compost that I have found them to succeed best in consists of 

 good fibrous peat, plenty of sharp silver-sand, and crocks broken 

 small, and all thoroughly well mixed together. To this should be 

 added one part silky loam, full of fibre, to four of the other. Give 

 suflicient water, when in fall growth, without soddening the soil, but 

 apply it very carefully through the winter, when the plants are 

 at rest. At all times give sufficient to wet the ball right through, 

 and then give no more until the soil begins to feel dry again. But 

 guard against letting it get dust dry. When this happens, it is a 

 difficult matter to get every portion wetted again. Pot firm, and 

 leave sufficient room to hold plenty of water on the surface. It is 

 all nonsense to talk about potting them high, for fear of the collar 

 rotting when elevated, as recommended by some growers. It is next 

 to impossible to get the centre of the ball soaked, and no plants 

 will flourish with half the soil in the pots dry, and a large portion 

 of the roots dried up. Put a good drainage of crocks in the bottom, 

 and loosen the roots round the outside of the ball, without breaking 

 them about too much, and remove as much of the surface soil as 

 can be conveniently done. I must not forget to add, that when out 

 of doors the plants should be placed in a partially shaded position, 

 and the pots should be stood on a bed of coal-ashes, or elevated on 

 bricks, or small flower-pots, to prevent the worms getting through 

 the bottom. 



The undermentioned are a dozen of the very best : — Carminata^ 

 Eclipse (summer flowerer), Grandijiora ruhra, Hyacinthiflora^ Hya- 

 cinthifiora candidissima, Impressa coccinea, Kinghornii, Lady Alice 

 JE'eel^ Miniata splendens, Magnifica, Mrs. Fym^ Fulchella major. 



WINTEE SALADINa. 



BT A. MAEKET-GAEDENER. 



iNE of the best and most useful is the Endiye. The 

 Green Curled is the one I have always found best. 

 There is a sort called the Mossy Green Curled, smaller 

 and closer in habit. But from every packet of seed 

 will be obtained plants that vary in character — some 

 plain in the leaf, some finely curled — and of course the plain ones 

 should be pulled up and thrown away, for they are easily picked 

 out at the time of planting. There is another sort, the Batavian, 

 but it is usually so coarse that I have never thought it worth grow- 

 ing. No time must now be lost in sowing the seed, and it should 

 be remembered that no other plant suffers as much as this from 

 being too thick in the seed-bed ; and to get nice close heads in a 

 manner that will make them acceptable, they should be grown quick 

 in a rich deep soil, and when sown the spot should be open, the 



