Plate 3GG. 



VERBENAS, MISS TURXEll, THOMAS HARRIS, 

 AND INTERESTING. 



Any i)orson wlio luis visited the autumn exhibition of the 

 Crystal Palace must have been struck by the exceeding beauty 

 of the boxes of cut blooms of Verbena, exhibited by Charles J. 

 Perry, Esq., of The Cedars, Castle IJromwich. near liirminjjham ; 

 and we may safely say, that in tlie class to which he lias espe- 

 cially devoted his attention, Verbenas for I'xliibitinii, he is 

 quite unrivalled. We have, therefore, great pleasure in giving 

 this statement of his method of growing tlicm, wliich lie has 

 obligingly furnished us with. 



"The cuttings are struck in March, and tlie strongest plants 

 are potted into small pots as soon as rooted, and placed in a 

 moderately warm dung frame, they then receive one stop ; after 

 they have made a little growth, they are potted into 48-sized 

 pots, and receive another stopping as soon as they have well 

 taken hold of the soil. After they have made some growth, 

 they are finally potted into the blooming-pots, whicii should be 

 about five or six inches across, not larger ; and early in May 

 th(>y are placed in a cool, well-ventilated greenliouse. Short 

 slicks are put to each shoot as tliey grow, for the purpose of 

 keeping the trusses upright. The soil I prefer is old turf 

 mixed with decayed frame-manure ; tlie plants must never 

 suffer from want of water, and must be fumigated whenever an 

 aphis makes its appearance ; if properly attended to, blooms 

 may be cut continually from the beginning of June until the 

 end of September, and the plants will form one of the most 

 interesting features of the greenhouse, at a time when few 

 flowering-plants are under glass; the per!'ume is also parti- 



