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THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE, 



blossoms ou the stem, and their career is 

 at an end ; but, by compelling growth 

 instead of bloom, you may get them to 

 almost any size you like ; and the larger 

 and stronger you have the plants, the 

 more grand will be their show of bloom 

 when they are finally allowed to display 

 themselves. Therefore, when your little 

 plants have half-a-dozen leaves, nip out 

 the centre of each. They will then throw 

 half-a-dozen side branches ! when these 

 are a little advanced, nip them in the 

 same manner, and continue stopping as 

 fast as there are sufficient joints of the 

 new growth to afford a basis for a frcsli 

 development of side shoots. All this 

 while give plenty of water, and increase 

 the strength of the liquid manure ; and if 

 you never took much note of balsams 

 before, you will be astonished to see the 

 stems increase to the thickness of a stout 

 walking-stick, and with splendid heads 

 and bright healthy foliage. You must 

 determine for yourself whether you will 

 have them larger or not, for now they 

 will, in spite of stopping, begin to pro- 

 duce flower buds. If these are allowed to 

 swell, they will make very little more 

 growth ; but if every one be picked oif, 

 they will break again another crop of side 

 shoots, and make still finer heads ; and if 

 you want them in bloom by a certain 

 time, you only need give them a fortnight 

 in hot weather, or three weeks later in 

 the season ; and, by discontinuing stop- 

 pings and disbudding?, you will have them 

 in bloom by that time — not a few miser- 

 able flowers on the central stem, but 

 loaded to the extremity of every shoot, 

 and one mass of colour all over. While 

 they last they are superb indeed, but they 

 do not last long ; and unless you purpose 

 taking seed from the best, they should be 

 rooted up and got rid of as soon as they 

 are past their prime ; and their places 

 may be filled up with another later lot 

 turned out of pots, or with late stocks, or 

 something that will keep up the gaiety of 

 the border till the frosts come. 



You will easily judge, from the above 

 directions, that, under pot culture, the 

 balsam may be brought to a grand per- 

 fectiou. It is tender, it likes warmth, 

 revele in moisture both at the root and 

 in the air, and it must have a generous 

 soil if fine plants and double flowers are 

 required. Now, here's a field for any 

 amateur who desires to win distinction as 

 an exhibitor, and especially in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London, for in and about 

 the metropolis there is no flower so badly 

 shown ; indeed, we know not where, ex- 



cept in the midland counties, where ama- 

 teur growers know what balsams should 

 be, we may safely count upon seeing 

 good balsams at summer exhibitions. It 

 is all a question of growth, there are no 

 secrets; keep them growing, stop, disbud, 

 give them moist warm air and liquid ma- 

 nure in plenty, and give them not one 

 check either by neglect in watering or 

 letting them get pot-bound, and you are 

 sure of grand specimens, provided you 

 begin with seed worth the pains you pur- 

 pose to bestow upon it. 



To have a succession of fine plants, sow 

 the first lot in a hot-bed in Marcli, and 

 sow again in April, May, and June ; and 

 as each lot comes on, you may select the 

 forwardest, and allow them to bloom early, 

 and prolong the others for the production 

 of grand specimens. If the plants of each 

 sowing were divided into two portions, 

 one lot to be allowed to bloom three 

 months after sowing, and the remainder 

 to be grown on for another month or six 

 weeks, you would have a splendid succes- 

 sion of both border and specimen plants, 

 the size of the plants and time of blooming 

 being so completely under the control of 

 the grower. 



The soil for pot specimens should he 

 two-thirds loam from rotted turves, and 

 one-third well-rotted dung, or one-third 

 hazelly loam that has been ridged up all 

 the winter, one-third leaf mould, and one- 

 third powdery dung. As fast as the 

 plants come from the seed-pans, prick 

 them into the smallest pots; when they 

 fill these with roots, and before they get 

 pot-bound, shift to sixties, then again to 

 forty-eights, then into thirty-twos for 

 blooming. They should have greenhouse 

 culture till they come to the last shift, 

 and may then be put out on a bed of coal 

 ashes ou an east or west border, so as to 

 have morning or evening sun, but be shel- 

 tered from the fierce mid-day heat. The 

 compost at the last potting should be 

 very rich ; well-rotted cow-dung, with a 

 little sand added to the loam, will, with 

 plenty of water and liquid manure, help 

 them to set their buds well and bloom 

 strong. At every potting they should be 

 stopped all over, and if they show bloom- 

 buds before they are as large as you want 

 them, take off every one, or allow one 

 only to open to prove the sort ; and if of 

 good substance, well doubled, and a de- 

 sirable colour, take it off immediately after 

 it has opened, to prevent it setting for 

 seed. Search the plant well, that there 

 are no otlier buds left, and grow on again 

 for a month, and then let them bloom in 



