THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 287 



FucnsiA-BUDS Dropping. — Anxious Inquirer. — The plants have quite ex- 

 hausted the soil in which they are growing;, therefore shift tlie yonncr and middlinc- 

 sized plants at once into a mixture consisting of fibrous loam, leaf-mould, rotteu 

 dung, and silver sand ; after a few weeks' growth they will bloom Huely through 

 the latter end of the autumn. Try a little gumo water, mixed at the rate of half 

 an ounce to the gallon, on the old plants. If they are too far gone, and it fails to 

 have a salutary effect, set them out of doors in a shady position to rioen their 

 wood. 



Calceolaria Cuttings. — Novice. — Calceolarias bedded out have made but 

 little growth anywhere this season, and we expect many will find great difficulty in 

 getting up their usu il stock of cuttings. We would advise you to give your bed a 

 good mulch of half- rotten dung ; or if it is situited in too prominent a position for 

 you to do this, cover it instead with the same thickness of coc >a-nut refuse. This 

 will keep the roots cool, and encourage the production of young shoots. We need 

 scarcely say that a good soaking of water now and then will be of service, and if 

 slightly flav^oured with manure its advantage will be enhanced. A syringe or 

 sprinkle overhead with clear water between the intervals will all tend towards the 

 same end. 



Summer Management of Dahlias. — W. S. S., Forfc^jVe.— Dahlias should 

 have only one stem each, and thit staked in good time. If the plants grow very 

 bushy, thin away a portion of the shoots ; liquid manm-e once a week, net too 

 stron;,', will do them immense good, and, while growing, they will take as much 

 moisture as you like to give them. If a regular system of watering is once begun 

 you must gj on all through the season, except during wet weather, for watering 

 brings the roots near the surface, and the plants suffer if supplies are stopped. We 

 put a good spadeful of rotten dung under every dahlia to draw the roots down, and 

 obviate the need of frequent watering. If the plants are troubled with red-spider, 

 dust them with sulphur, and then drench them well overhead — the red-spider cannot 

 stand sulphur and moisture together. A dry leaf and a warm berth are the delights 

 of this pest. Dahlia roots should be stored in a place free from frost and damp, 

 but not so dry as to shrivel them. They should not be taken up until the frosts 

 have destroyed the stems, and, to promote the ripening of the tubers, the plants 

 should have very little v.^ater towards the end of the season. The best way of 

 storing them is to lay them in wicker baskets, and cover with short dry hay, and 

 place the baskets in an airy loft. 



Spir^\ palmata. — An Old Subscriber, Batliampton. — The plant is, no doubt, 

 wrong at the roots. We would advise you to shift it into a larger pot as soon as 

 it has done flowering, and in so doing remove a little of the old soil if it will come 

 away without disturbing the roots. If the pot is well filled with roots, no attempt 

 should be made to remove any portion of the soil. The pot into which it is shifted 

 should be two sizes larger than the one it now occupies. Use a mixture of turfy 

 loam and well rotted manure, and when the repotting is completed place it in a 

 shady position, such as on the north side of a wall, fence, or hedge. Supply it 

 liberiilly with water, until the leaves die down, and even then the soil must be kept 

 moist, for like other marsh plants it must have moisture during the winter as well 

 as in the summer. Many amateurs fail in growing it successfully through their 

 drying it off when at rest, in precisely the same mannur as they would bulbous 

 plants. When the leaves have all died down, remove to a cold frame, because 

 when left out-of-doors there is a danger of the frost splitting the pot and injuring 

 the roots. It may be protected with a good thickness of dry leaves or litter, but 

 it is preferable to winter it in a cold frame. As it commences to grow in the 

 spring, increase the supply of water, and when in full growth give it an abundance, 

 and about twice a week apply liquid manure, prepared by steeping cow-dung and 

 soot in rain water. It should be again shifted after it has done flowering. By 

 shifting at this stage the pots are well-filled with roots by the autumn, and in the 

 spring they are in grand condition for starting into a viu;orous growth. By the 

 adoption of the system here described, it will be prssible to produce specimens 

 upwards of five feet in height, six feet through, and furnished with fifty iijwer 

 heads, each of which will be of immense size. Very few people are aware of the 

 capabilities of this grand plant, and a fresh-looking plant, two or three feet ia 

 height, and furni-<hed with four or five flower heads, is regarded as quite a triumph 

 of cultural skill, but these are mere pigmies when compared with specimens of the 

 dimensions here mentioned. 



September. 



