THE FLORIST. 91 



conchiflora in my garden ; and as soon as I thought the pistils in a fit 

 state for fertilisation, the stigmas of three only of the six selected 

 for experiment were dusted with the pollen of T. pavonia. These 

 produced three seed-pods ; but the other three which were not dusted 

 withered and died without producing seed. From this little experi- 

 ment I felt satisfied I had proved, first, that the two flowers T. pa- 

 vonia and conchiflora were not distinct species ; and secondly, that I 

 should have the satisfaction of beholding, in little more than two 

 years, an interesting collection of seedling varieties from them. Nor 

 have I been disappointed. The two flowers represented in the plate 

 in a previous page, were selected from these seedlings for the 

 purpose of embellishing this Number of The Florist, not so much 

 on account of their brilliant tints, as from their possessing distinct 

 characters ; and it was the opinion of the talented artist, Miss Drake, 

 by whom they were drawn, that it would be impossible to do justice to 

 some of the more highly coloured varieties. To those who may feel 

 inclined to make experiments with the Tiger Flower for the purpose 

 of obtaining a collection of seedling varieties, I would recommend that 

 they procure half-a-dozen bulbs of each variety, and having planted 

 them in small flower-pots containing old vegetable mould mixed 

 with about one-third sand, plunge them into a gentle bottom heat ; 

 and soon after the plants appear above ground, gradually remove 

 them from thence to a greenhouse, and ultimately to a warm south 

 border, taking great care not to injure or disturb the roots in shift- 

 ing them from the pots. Here, if the weather prove unfavourable, 

 they may be protected by a hand-glass for a short time. Thus 

 treated, they flower much earlier than such as have been at once 

 planted into the open ground, and will be sure to ripen their seed. 

 Plants raised from seed will always flower the second year, but it is 

 possible that some of them may during the autumn of the first, as 

 the following circumstance has proved. 



Early in the spring of last year I gave to my friend Mr. Coulson, 

 of Assington Hall, a small packet of seed of T. conchiflora, which 

 had been fertilised by Pavonia (about as much as might have been 

 produced from three or four seed-vessels). This seed was raised in 

 a cucumber-frame ; and the seedlings, as soon as the weather per- 

 mitted, were pricked out into a south border. Here their progress 

 was much more rapid than could have been anticipated ; for in the 

 month of September several of them sent up flower-stems, and four 

 actually expanded their blossoms. From the appearance of these 

 seedlings, I have no doubt that every root will produce several 

 flower-stems next season ; and I will leave it to my readers to form 

 an idea of the interest and anxiety with which my friend looks for- 

 ward to the time when his bed of seedlings shall reward him with 

 their varied hues. 



[To be continued.] 



