FEBRUARY. 



21 



old ball, and remove a portion of the top soil ; drain as you would for 

 Carnations ; after covering the bottom of the pot with crocks, place 

 some of the coarsest soil mixed with a little manure over the drain- 

 age, and shake all down by striking the pot on the bench. The soil 

 should not be pressed hard with the hand ; no water should be given 

 for a day or two after potting. Before as well as after this opera- 

 tion, the plants must be kept well up to the glass : so near do we 

 keep them to the glass at all times, that, as they grow and throw up 

 blooms, we have to raise the frames, or lower the bottom, to allow 

 them head-room. As keeping up a good stock of plants is so inti- 

 mately connected with the production of large flowers, is it not 

 remarkable to find people losing two-thirds of their collection } The 

 plants we have been describing have from two to six shoots, or strong 

 leaders ; and to keep them to these chosen shoots, a number of small 

 ones must from time to time be removed. These cuttings answer 

 the double purpose of strengthening the main shoots, and producing 

 a stock of young plants; the old worn-out plants, after going through 

 the season, producing blooms, cuttings, and, at the end of the season, 

 a little seed, may be looked upon as having done their work, and 

 from time to time die off, which is of no consequence provided a 

 young stock has been secured in the manner we have described. 

 Plant out any increase as soon as it is rooted, and from these again • 

 continue to propagate by putting in any side- shoots as cuttings, 

 when they are sufl[iciently long for that purpose. Propagating the 

 Pansy is a simple and inexpensive operation ; almost any beds or 

 borders will answer for planting out the young stock. We recom- 

 mend that, from first to last, a considerable number should be raised 

 from cuttings, or small pieces taken from the parent plant, with 

 roots attached, in order that there may be a good selection for the 

 purpose of pot-culture. In this lies the secret of successful cultiva- 

 tion, if secret there really be : without a choice of plants no good will 

 be effected. 



Having pointed out what should be aimed at to ensure success, it 

 will not be out of place to allude to what, in many instances, causes 

 failure. The time for taking cuttings is, in many cases, too long de- 

 layed ; if the old plant does not go off altogether, the cuttings be- 

 come sickly and pippy ; therefore never be without a young stock. 



Strong growers, with large flowers, are best adapted for exhibi- 

 tion in pots. The following are recommended for that purpose : 



Selfs of various shades. Blanche, Constantine, Duke of Perth, 

 Ibrahim Pasha, Lucy Neal, Ophir, Polyphemus, Pompey, Rainbow, 

 Sambo. 



Varieties with white grounds. Aurora, Almanzor, Caroline, Cli- 

 max, Madame Sontag, Miss Thomson, Mrs. Beck, Mrs. Hamilton, 

 Penelope, Sir K. Peel, Royal Visit, 



Varieties with different shades of yellow ground. Addison, Con- 

 stellation, Duke of Norfolk, Diadem, Elegant, Euphemia, France 

 Cycole, Iron Duke, Juventa, Mr. Beck, Masterpiece, Opheha, Robert 

 Burns, Sir Philip Sidney, Supreme, Zabdi. 



Keep the frames open whenever the weather is favourable, pull- 



