1869.] HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 565 



siderable progress, and attention must now be directed to the maturing 

 of growth before finally setting them to rest. Cautiously inure them 

 to a fuller exposure to light and air, till the lights may be wholly dis- 

 pensed with ; and be more sparing in the supply of water, but never 

 allow the leaves to flasr. The first week in October should find them 

 well matured, and they may then be turned out of the seed-pans, 

 saving the fibres from unnecessary injury in the process, and potted 

 singly into pots suited to the size of the corms, bearing in mind that the 

 first shift should be a small one, and that the pots be well drained. When 

 potted, plunge to the rims of the pots in coal- ashes, and give water suffi- 

 cient to settle the soil about the roots, after which for the winter they 

 will require little attention except that of giving air when the weather 

 is mild, protection from severe frost, and a vigilant look-out for slugs, 

 which are fond of nibbling the young tender corms. About February or 

 March they will begin to move of their own accord, and if frame-accom- 

 modation may not be afforded them, they should be hardened off pre- 

 paratory to standing out of doors in April or May, and plunged in a bed 

 of coal-ashes in a well-sheltered, partially-shaded situation. One or two 

 shifts may be necessary throughout the summer as the plants increase 

 in size, but the shifts should be small. In October, if the pots are well 

 filled with roots, the plants may receive a final shift and be stored 

 away for the winter in the best manner the available means will allow, 

 and in the following spring they should yield a reward for all this 

 care and trouble in a plentiful crop of flowers. 



The treatment for established plants does not consist of many details. 

 Encourage vigorous growth for a couple of months after flowering is 

 finished, remembering always that shade from mid-day sun is essential 

 during this process; water abundantly, and keep clean, and in the end 

 of September or beginning of October, before putting them away for 

 winter, give a shift if required, but in any case examine the drainage, 

 and repair it if necessary, and throughout the winter see that the roots 

 do not shrivel for want of water. By these means, if carefully applied, 

 ample success is certain. But those whose circumstances do not admit 

 of such expensive and troublesome details should not be discouraged 

 from the cultivation of Cyclamens. A few roots of flowering size of the 

 hardy sorts may be procured and planted in September, in light rich 

 soil, well drained, either on rockwork or in a warm sheltered border ; and 

 when spring comes round, protect the flowers from the inclement weather 

 by the best means at disposal. The autumn-flowering species may be 

 enjoyed with less trouble than those of spring, and do very well planted 

 in the same way, but the cream of the gems is in the spring-flowering 

 sorts. It has to be added that, in planting or potting, the corms of 

 those species, such as C. persicum, which are naturally large, should be 



