98 



STOCKS FOE BLOOMING NEXT SPRING. 



There are three kinds stiitable,namely: — 

 Queen, with close sitting flowers ; Queen, 

 with blossoms rather spread out ; B romp- 

 ton, that do not branch out, and form 

 only one stem, on which there is formed 

 in the spring, as on the stock wall- 

 flower, one blossom stalk. The winter 

 stock, besides the last-mentioned species, 

 develops a strong bush on a low stem, and 

 presents at the time of blooming a splendid 

 sight : it is principally applicable to orna- 

 ment flower-beds to be placed before the 

 windows, because it develops its flowers 

 early in the spring. As those with full 

 flowers are most esteemed by amateurs, 

 it is necessary that the sowing should not 

 be too late, so that they may show blos- 

 som in the autumn ; the most fitting 

 time for this is from the beginning to the 

 middle of April, and to the middle of 

 May. The sowing is done in the same 

 manner as that of the summer stock, and 

 the treatment is the same, with only this 

 difference — that the summer stocks are 

 planted immediately where it is intended 

 they should remain, whilst these are re- 

 picked, and must be placed again in a cold 

 bed, as mentioned for the sowing of the 

 summer stock ; when this is done, the 

 chief root of every plant must be sup- 

 ported, that it may make more side roots, 

 which is of great importance to their sub- 

 sequent development ; after replacing, the 

 plants must hove closed air for some days, 

 and shade, if necessary; they require but 

 little time for growing up, and after that 

 they must again be accustomed to the air, 

 and the lights must be removed during 

 the daytime in favourable weather. At 

 the end of May or beginning of June they 

 will be strong enough for transplanting. 

 Beds which have not been manured lately 

 should be chosen for this ; however, the 

 ground must not be too poor, nor too 

 hard. Plant in rows one foot apart, the 

 plants about one foot distant from each 

 other ; after they have been thus planted 



they must be strongly watered if the 

 weather is dry, and kept clean from weeds 

 by frequent raking and loosening ; should 

 there be continual dry weather alter they 

 have been planted, it will be necessary 

 to repeat the watering until considerable 

 growth is made. In favourable weather 

 the first buds wdl show themselves at the 

 end of September, and they are imme- 

 diately cut for implantation ; for this 

 purpose the plants are carefully lifted up 

 with a spade, and the roots entirely freed 

 from the earth sticking to them ; if there 

 is no opportunity for implantation near 

 by, it would be advisable to cover the 

 lifted-out roots with wet moss to protect 

 them from withering. The most suitable 

 earth for these winter stocks is a nutritious, 

 clay-like, grass bank earth, to which must 

 be added, in case the earth is too binding, 

 a sufficient quantity of river sand. Care 

 must be taken in the implantation that 

 the injured roots are cleanly cut and that 

 they are sufficiently supported ; the pots 

 must be large enough to allow of the ex- 

 tension of the roots : although all this 

 has been done, still care must be taken 

 that the plants do not penetrate more 

 deeply into the earth than they were in 

 the open air. After the implantation they 

 must be placed in a cool, shady situation 

 and be well watered ; there they must 

 remain until they are completely grown, 

 and occasionally slushed with water, but 

 only when the earth is very dry, which 

 may be easily known by the fading of the 

 leaves ; they may then be removed to 

 protected shelves before being taken into 

 winter quarters. Particular care must be 

 taken in wintering these stocks that they 

 are watered as little as possible, and that 

 they are not kept too warm, so that they 

 may not begin to shoot too soon ; in 

 spring, when growth is again strong, they 

 may be freely watered. — Carter's Gar- 

 dener's Vade mecum. 



TIFFANY FOE WINTEE GAEDENING AND OECHAED- 



HOUSES. 



Having felt the want of a place for shad- I the texture of tiffany it would be just the 

 iug, and for hardening off plants taken thing to cover a place which I call the tif- 



frotn the propagating-house, before plac- 

 ing them out of doors or before sending 



fany-house. It is made with larch poles, 

 seven or eight feet apart, and seven feet 



them away on a journey, I thought from | out of the ground (unbarked), the tops 



