Plate 339. 

 VARIETIES or PEESIAN CYCLAMEN. 



We are sufficiently justified in figuring some recently raised 

 varieties of the Persian Cyclamen by the greatly increased in- 

 terest taken in its growth; this has been evidenced by the large 

 number of plants brought forward at our early spring sliows, 

 Avhich have received the warmest encomiums, both from the 

 lovers of plants, and that more numerous body the general 

 public, which admires flowers, but seeks not to enter into the 

 mysteries of their production, habit, or growth. 



We are indebted to Mr. Wiggins, gardener to Mr. Walter 

 Beck, of Worton Cottage, Isleworth, both for the opportunity 

 of figuring these varieties and also for the following notes on 

 their culture. Many persons have imagined — and, indeed, tlie 

 method in growing them has tended to this — that it requires 

 some considerable time to bring them to perfection, wliile it 

 lias been generally recommended to allow them to go to rest 

 after their period of flowering is over, but it will be seen that 

 Mr. Wiggins's plan is entirely opposed to this ; he says, — " The 

 plants which I have exhibited in 48s this spring were only in 

 the seed-pan this time last year. In fact, the seed was sown in 

 heat in March, 18GG ; as soon as the seedlings had attained 

 sufficient size to be handled they were potted off into small 

 thumbs, in a compost of leaf-mould, well rotted cow-dung, 

 loam, and some white silver-sand, they were then placed in 

 good strong heat and pushed on as rapidly as possible; when 

 they had filled these pots with roots they were placed in 48s, 

 in the same compost, and still kept in lieat. The result of this 

 generous treatment was that I was enabled to exhibit bulbs 

 about tile size of walnuts, with from twelve tn twenty blooms 

 on them, in twelve months from the sowiuii; of the seed." 



