THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



49 



moving, leave it alone till next Oc- 

 tober, if possible, for that ia the best 

 time to move a large Wellingtonia." 

 So we come to see the force of the 

 advice a certain loose-living clergy- 

 man used to give his congregation — 

 " Don't do as I do, but do as I tell 

 you." If you will allow me, I will 

 here close my notes on the plunging 



system. The failure recorded was no 

 necessity of the system at all ; it was 

 the result of whim, and L hope it may 

 be a caution to any of our friends 

 who are given to whims, before they 

 enter upon any undertaking, to be 

 sure first that they have good reason' 

 for the course they intend to pursue. 



SfllBLEY HlBBEBD. 



CULTURE OF THE POLYANTHUS. 



Amateurs are oftentimes deterred 

 from entering heartily into the culti- 

 vation of a flower of great historical 

 fame, through the influence of two 

 erroneous notions which take pos- 

 session of their minds. They first 

 suppose it impossible to attain to pro- 

 ficiency in the art ; they do not even 

 Suppose mediocrity to be within their 

 reach ; it seems as if beneath the 

 surface of fior [cultural talk and prac- 

 tice there were hidden some cabala, 

 Some mystery, some hard-to-be-got-at 

 Becret. It ought not to be necessary 

 to say that this condition of mind is 

 wholly at variance with the simple 

 truth of the case. There are in 

 floriculture no hard-to-be-got-at se- 

 crets. We ought not indeed to speak 

 of the kingdom or queeudom of Flora, 

 for it is a republic, the conditions and 

 terms of success are the same for all ; 

 skill, patience, perseverance — these 

 are the credentials for success and 

 honour. Another fallacy is the idea 

 that a great outlay will be needed in 

 the first instance, and a great yearly, 

 monthly, weekly, daily, perhaps 

 hourly expense for ever after. Now, 

 if any reader of the Flokal World 

 has such a notion, I tell you, my dear 

 friend, it is all moonshine. If you 

 rush and buy all the newest varieties, 

 and buy indiscriminately whatever is 

 offered, without respect to its qua- 

 lity, you may if you like ruin your- 

 self. I can find you auriculas worth 

 fifty pounds apiece if you wish for 

 an extre me case ; but I can also find 

 you some very good ones, nay some 

 of the best known, at from two to 

 seven shillings each. Take the case 

 of the Polyanthus, the best flowers 

 have rarely been grown by persons of 

 means. A long purse seems to be 



fatal to them ; all they want is 

 comparatively pure air, a good soil, 

 and a little shelter ; the rest is a mat- 

 ter of judgment and manipulation, 

 aud have both to be acquired, As for 

 the cost of polyanthuses, it is a mat- 

 ter not worth mentioning. I see in 

 the catalogue of Mr. Holland, of 

 Middleton, Lancashire, that eighteen 

 finest known varieties of polyanthuses 

 may be obtained for thirty-eight 

 shillings, and many of these are 

 priced at only a shilling each. 



Soil and Situation. — Tne Poly- 

 anthus may be grown in the open 

 ground and in pots. When grown 

 in the open ground the whole year 

 through, there must be some pro- 

 tection in winter, as the finest varie- 

 ties are more tender than common 

 border polyanthuses. It is best to 

 grow a collection in pots, and a bed 

 as well ; losses in winter may thus be 

 made good from the surplus stock of 

 pot plants, aud the cultivator will 

 have the advantage of the more rapid 

 increase by offsets, and generally the 

 more vigorous growth of those grown 

 ia beds. On the other hand, the plants 

 in pots will be the safest, and the most 

 delicate habited varieties will per- 

 haps always succeed best in pots, both 

 because they can be more perfectly 

 sheltered in winter and shaded in sum- 

 mer, aiid because they are likely to 

 have more care at all times. Some ex- 

 hibitors grow their exhibition plants 

 in the open ground, and on the morn- 

 ing of the show take them up and 

 pot them, and so place them on the 

 table. The soil for beds and pots 

 need not of course be alike. For the 

 bed a sound, deep, yellow, maiden 

 loam, enriched with thoroughly de- 

 cayed manure, is the best that can be 



