62 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



mine, most brilliant colour, fine form, and j peach with distinct white border, very fine 

 very aitractive. I and full, of dwarf bushy habit— a lovely 



Priscilhi, clear orange, quilled, dwarf variety, remaining in bloom throughout 

 and pretty. I December, was raised at the RoyafGar- 



TUe Little Gem (Ingram), delicate rose | deus, Wiudaor, by Air. Ingram, 



CELOSIA AUREA— HOW TO PEEPARE A STAPLE COMPOST. 



Among recent introductions, or rather 

 among plants which have recently become 

 popular, that which heads tliis notice is not 

 the least interesting, for whether considered 

 in relation to its adaptability for a single 

 specimen, the elegance of its habit, or the 

 deiiirableness of its golden masses of colour 

 for Cjnservatory decoration, it is certainly 

 one of tlie most useful tender annuals which 

 has of late years been brought into notice. 

 The brothers Thompson, to whom we are 

 indebted for its general distribution, have 

 grown it for some eisht or ten years past, but 

 whether they won it by cultivation Irom the 

 yellow cockscomb (G. cristatu flavescens), or 

 obtained it by foreign introduction, I am not 

 prepared to say; but however it was pro- 

 cured, I for one should be delighted to see a 

 crimson variety of the same habit, for I 

 regard this pyramidal variety as a much 

 more uselul smd elegant plant than those 

 stiff, formal, waxwork-looking things upon 

 ■which gardeners of the olden time, and 

 even some of modern date, have given them- 

 selves so much trouble. With the blue 

 aprons of my younger days, " my cocks- 

 combs" were scarcely less important in 

 point of cultivation than " my cucumbers" 

 or "my melons," and even some at the 

 present time consider it a grand achieve- 

 ment to grow a cockscomb ciLihteen inches 

 to two feet over the cnnb. For my own 

 part, I see but little beauty in these stereo- 

 typed forms; it may be want of taste, but 

 I would rather see one good specimen of 

 this feathery variety than all tije formal 

 things that may be grown during the 

 pi'esent year. I would also in this place 

 ■wish to impress upon cultivators the im- 

 portance uf retaining the feathery form of 

 Celosia in other colours. Tlie ''Florist" 

 has figured a crimson variety which is no 

 doubt very pretty, but we must not rest 

 until we get a crimson variety equal to 

 the orange one in point of habit. Those 

 sticklers for " form " who can see no beauty 

 except through a pair of geometrical spec- 

 tacles, will no doubt ohject vej\y strongly to 

 tiirowing the ©id form of cockscomb out of 

 cultivation; but that 1 do not want so long 

 as they will assist me to obtain a variety 

 ■which will be more useful in a decorative 



point of view, and certainly not less worthy 

 of cultivation. 



Now, in the cultivation of all soft- 

 wooded and free-growing plants, the great 

 desideratum is to have a suitable compost, 

 a sort of general stock, which, witli the 

 addition of a little sand, etc., to make it, as 

 may be needed, light or heavy, will be 

 ready at all times. This is best prepared 

 by procuring two loads of fresh horse-dung 

 as much impregnated with urine as possible. 

 Throw it together into a heap to ferment, 

 and if not sufficiently moist, sprinkle it 

 with the drainings of the stable. It will 

 require to be turned two or three times 

 until it gets in a uniform state as to heat. 

 Then procure four loads of nice turfy loam 

 from an old sheep pastitre, and cut as 

 thinly as possible ; chop this roughly over, 

 and then having placed a layer about a 

 foot thick upon the grouml, proceed to 

 build up a heap in alternate layers of the 

 hot dtmg and loam, taking care to use the 

 dung in sufficient quantity at the com- 

 mencement to insure the mass heating in a 

 regular manner. If there should be any 

 doubt on this point, cover the whole with 

 hot dung to assist the fertnentation, as the 

 moisture should heat sufficiently to destroy 

 every sign of insect or vegetable lii'e in the 

 mass. After sweating for a fortnight in 

 this manner, turn it over, throwing the 

 sides of the heap into the middle, and then 

 let it heat again, only covering with mats 

 to throw ofi'rain, and also in some measure 

 to prevent the loss of ammonia. When the 

 heat subsides, turn the heap over fre- 

 quently, mixing the loam and dung as 

 intimately as possible, but still not break- 

 ing it too hue. This turning may be 

 repeated frequently, so as to get the mass 

 well aired; but at the same time great 

 care must ha taken to keep it dry. Some 

 of the outside portions of the compost will 

 be tit to use after it has been exposed to 

 the action of the atujospliere for a few 

 weeks; but use it with cauti' n, for if 

 properly prepared, it will be almost as 

 strong as guano, and njuch too sirong for 

 indiscriminate use. Compost of this kind 

 sufficient for the use of a season should be 

 prepared every autumn while the soil is 



