THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. G3 



as April. The exact cours2 to follow must be determined by the desire of the cul- 

 tivator to have them in bloom at any particular date. If wanted as early as pos- 

 sible, they should be potted as soon as they can be obtained, and be at once placed 

 on a steady bottom-heat of 60% with very little water until they begin to grow, 

 and after that plenty. Tlienceforward, warm greenhouse culture, with plenty of 

 liuht, water, and air, will suffice to bring them into bloom in June. If wanted as 

 late as possible, pot them in the middle of April, put the pots on a top shelf in the 

 sun, giving no water, or but little, i'.ist to keep the soil slightly moist until they 

 begin to grow, and after that water cautiously until they are growing freely. If 

 kept fully in the light in a greenhouse, they will be coming iuto bloom in August 

 and September ; and the nice point in management to prolong the bloom is to give 

 a little heat whtn necessary, to prevent the buds going blind ; but to give no more 

 heat than will suffice to assist the expansion of the flowers. A light, rich loam is 

 the best soil for them ; they require rather liberal pot-room, and the largest and 

 lieaviest bulbs should be selected in the first instance. 



Kerria J.\Pi)Nic.v. — F. G. — There cannot be a doubt about the hardiness of 

 this plant, for it may be seen in all parts of the country, clotliing walls of eight to 

 fifteen feet high, and blooming profusely. It is a favourite wall-plant about Lon- 

 don, and appears to thrive in any kind of soil. It will be found in old lists oi 

 hardy shrubs under its older name of Corchorus Japonicus. 



Renovating Grass Lawns. — G. H. — Gmsses and clovers require good food ; 

 and, when lawns become scrubby and thin, we may reisonably suppose tliat the soil 

 is in great part exliausted. The appearance of dai;i''s in grass-turf is also a proof 

 that the soil is worn out ; and, to get rid of them, the first thing to be done is to 

 restore the fertility of the soil. While the superficial observer is giving elaborate 

 attention to the philosophy of a daisy-rake, the truly practical man will be dressing 

 the daisied lawn with phospho-guano, or superphosphate of lime, or some other 

 good fertilizer — knowing well that a little change of the conditions will alter the 

 nature of the confl ct, and enable the grasses to drive out the daisies, and tike the 

 place prepared for them. A surface dressing of suoerp'iosphate of lime will cause 

 an abundant growth of clover where tlie plant has never been seen before; and 

 even nitrate of soda, which is by no means the best manure for grasses, will impart 

 to the new growth a delightful richness of colour, and rapidly thicken the turf. A 

 moment's reflection will suffice to show the reasonableness of top-dressin"- lawns. 

 The treatment of grass-turf consists almost entirely in cutting and carrying away. 

 The exhaustion of the soil, therefore, is inevitable ; and, when that has proceeded 

 so far that the grasses perish, and daisies take their place, the time has come when 

 some kind of fertilizer must be employed. On some strong soils this point is never 

 leachtd, and manure is never needed ; but, generally speaking, old lawns show 

 signs of the poverty of the land, and the only remedy for that is manurin"'. The 

 best possible manure for grass-turf is that taken from a well-rotted stable-heap, such 

 as the remains of an old hotbed. This should be spread two or three inches thick 

 in February every year ; and, all the summer through, grass so treated will be' 

 green and felt-like, soft to the foot, and consist of the best turfing plants. Generally 

 speaking, this particular fertilizer cannot he spared for the purpose, and artificial 

 manures may be employed in its place. Any that are rich in potash and 

 phosphates will serve the purpose, and even old plaster or scot may be used with 

 signal benefit. Grass-plots in town-gardens are frequently in a bad condition 

 throush exhaustion of the soil, and an annual sprinkle of manure is al! thev want 

 to restore them. People scratch the ground, and sow grass-seeds, and are never any 

 better off'; but a bag of guano every year would be effectual to secure fir them the 

 luxury of a permanently-green turf. The guano and superphosphate should be 

 applied at the rate of oh lbs. to the square rod. 



Names of Plants. — B. KnigJd. — Ihe specimens were very much shrivelled 

 and dried up, but, as far as we can make out. No. 1 is Diplacus glutinosa ; 2, a 

 Kennedya; 3, Polygala oppositifolia ; 4, Mitraria coccinea ; o, No flowers, aud we 

 could not, therefore, attempt to name it. 



A Subscriber. — The bulbs should be taken up in the autumn as soon as the 

 foliage dies down, and they should be replantn^d in March or April. 



P'ruit-trees on Sandt Soil. — A Lady Subscriber. — The only course to 

 pursue is to dig up and destroy the trees and plant others. Apples, cherries, and 

 plums only should be planted, for pears seldom do any good on sandy soils. The 



February. 



