54 THE ELOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



merit — as will be seen by what follows. The seeds were sown in a 

 mixture of sandy peat and loam, singly, in small pots, and treated 

 just as you would any other seed. The pots were placed in a 

 warmth of about 70° until they vegetated, and the young plants 

 were nicely up. After that, they were removed to a temperature 

 five degrees lower, by the aid of fire-heat ; but as the seed was sown 

 about this time, the increasing warmth of the sun seldom let the 

 thermometer fall below 70°. The greatest enemy of the Clianthus 

 is red spider ; so, to be in a position to combat successfully with 

 this pest, I determined to plant them out, for plants in pots some- 

 times get starved for want of pot-room, and are also liable to get 

 dry occasionally. Checks of this kind are favourable to the deve- 

 lopment of red spider, but when the roots have a good bed of soil 

 to run in, there is little fear of the plants being subjected to any 

 check. We have a medium-sized span-roof house, used for rooting 

 pine-suckers through the summer, and a variety of purposes in the 

 winter. I made up a bed on one side of the house, about four feet 

 long, and the whole width between the two walls, which then 

 formed a square bed. We have a three-inch pipe in the bottom, but 

 I do not attach much importance to that, as it is so low down that 

 little or no warmth readies the soil. To form a drainage, we put 

 two feet of broken brickbats, with a layer of pieces of turf over 

 them to prevent the soil running down. Upon this was placed three 

 feet of sandy loam, which was full of fibre, and had lain in a heap 

 for twelve months previously. The soil was chopped up roughly, 

 and the bed made firm, to prevent its sinking after the plants were 

 turned out. The plants were planted a few days afterwards, with a 

 good soaking of water to settle the soil about the roots, and a stout 

 stick put to each, to prevent the stem getting broken before it 

 reached the roof. 



Since the time of planting, the only attention that they have 

 received has been keeping them properly watered, syringed, and 

 trained over a trellis which I had fixed to the roof for that purpose. 

 The soil must be kept nicely moist, and no more. Let there be no 

 dribblings on the top, but at each watering give sufficient to soak 

 the bed right through, and then give no more until the bed begins 

 to get dry again. As the syringing will make the soil moist upon 

 the top, it will be necessary to examine the bed some distance below 

 the surface, to see that it is in proper condition throughout its entire 

 depth. The temperature is maintained at about 70° by artificial 

 means through the summer season, and between 55° and 6CP during 

 the winter. 



In bright weather, from March until the end of August, the 

 plants get a skiff overhead with the syringe twice a day, but in damp 

 or cloudy weather, I have found once to be quite sufficient ; at all 

 other seasons once now and then will be quite enough, but the actual 

 times must be determined by the judgment of the cultivator. 

 Heavy syringings are not required, but gentle sprinklings, sufficient 

 to moisten tue foliage, without slopping the bed with a lot of water, 

 are the best. The training must be done very carefully, for the shoots 

 will not bear being twisted about, for, if they get injured, if it is 



