4 THE FLORIST. 



greatest enemy of this flower, and all decayed leaves should be picked 

 off, to prevent rot. 



It may be planted with advantage within the shade of distant 

 trees, but the roots should by no means interfere with it. 



The Hollyhock may be propagated the same autumn, by early- 

 gathered seed sown in pans in light sandy soil, and plunged in a 

 frame with gentle bottom-heat. The mould should be moist at the 

 time of sowing, and not watered until after the second leaves are 

 formed ; when strong enough, they should be transplanted into small 

 pots, put into a close frame for a few days, and when established, 

 hardened off. They should then be transferred to a cold frame, 

 giving plenty of air in favourable weather through the winter, and 

 in the month of March or April turned into the open ground for 

 blooming. The late-gathered seed may be sown in the open ground 

 in May or June, in rows or drills ; it will only require hoeing and 

 thinning, and may remain for blooming. This plant may also be 

 propagated by dividing the old roots, which is best done in the 

 autumn, taking care to leave plenty of root with each division. 



The best-blooming plants are raised from cuttings, which may 

 be taken from the crown of the old root, when the shoot is about an 

 inch long, in the month of April or May, or by single eyes from 

 wood shoots in July and August, taking care the bark is sufficiently 

 hard, but not pithy, or they are likely to rot. 



The cuttings should be potted singly in small thumbs ; the eyes 

 placed five or six round a small sixty-sized pot, in a light and very 

 sandy loam, plunged in a close frame (if available), with a little 

 bottom-heat, very sparingly watered, giving air every day for a short 

 time, to exclude damp, and carefully picking off all decayed leaves. 

 In about three weeks they will mostly be rooted, and should be im- 

 mediately potted into thumbs or small sixty's ; when well established, 

 they should be hardened off, and kept in a cold airy frame until they 

 are transferred to the open ground for blooming. 



By pursuing the above directions, the lover of this beautiful flower 

 will receive ample gratification in the blooming season. 



The following is a list oi twenty-four otthe best sorts already out. 



Bella Donna (Wood), pure white. 

 Bessy Bell, rich bright crimson. 

 Comet (Chater), ruby red. 

 Enchantress (Chater), deep rose. 

 Golden Prince (Stark), yellow. 

 General Bern (Veitch), vivid scarlet 



crimson. 

 Illuminator (Downie and Laird), 



crimson. 

 Lady Clarke (Jackson), pink. 

 Magnum Bonum (Baron), rich dark 



maroon. [pink. 



Mr. Charles Baron (Chater), salmon 

 Napoleon (Pows), mottled white and 



purple ; novel. 

 Obscura (Chater), mottled puce. 



Watford. 



Pytho,"deep lilac. 



Queen (Baron), blush. 



Rosea grandiflora (Baron), p nk. 



Rubens, salmon rose. 



Rosy Queen (Chater). 



Sir David Wedderburn (Currie), dark 

 rosy, crimson. 



Susannah, creamy white. 



Sulphurea perfecta (Rivers), sulphur. 



Subram, dark maroon. 



Spectabilis (Chater), bright rose, sal- 

 mon shaded. 



Walden Gem (Chater), deep by 

 crimson. 



Watford Surprise (Long), white, with 

 purple at the base. 



J. Long. 



