202 THE FLORAL WOULD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



not to be looked upon as curiosities, and only adapted for those 

 who have the convenience of a large establishment. With the aid 

 of a greenhouse and vinery, a very beautiful collection may be grown ; 

 but let us return to the propagation, and then the succeeding direc- 

 tions will show how far this assertion is confirmed. 



There is more pleasure attached to raising seedlings of this 

 genus than of many others, because of the probability that in a 

 large batch there will be very few bad varieties, if a judicious selec- 

 tion of parents is made. Within the past few years I have flowered 

 a large number, and out of the whole lot I have not had what may 

 be termed one ugly flower, and about fifteen per cent, have received 

 first-class certificates from the Royal Horticultural Society. The 

 quality of the seedlings will, of course, depend upon the parents ; 

 therefore, only those which have well-formed and richly-coloured 

 flowers should be set apart for seed-bearing. Those which have the 

 best formed flowers should be selected for the seed-parent, and 

 others that are the most remarkable for richness and purity of 

 colouring for the pollen parent. 



Light and air are essential to the thorough maturation of the 

 seed ; therefore, as the plants go out of flower, they should be placed 

 in a light airy position in an intermediate house, where a genial 

 growing temperature is maintained, and where they can be screened 

 from the direct rays of the sun. The seed should be sown imme- 

 diately it is ripe, for I find it germinates better at that time than 

 when it is kept until the spring. The usual precautions of 

 having light, sandy soil, and well-drained pots, and other matters 

 common to raising all kinds of seedlings, must be observed with the 

 greatest strictness. We generally place our seed-pots in a melon or 

 cucumber frame, and stand them upon a piece of board to prevent 

 the worms getting through the hole in the bottom. After the plants 

 are nicely up, and have from three to four leaves each, instead of 

 leaving them in the seed-pan until the following spring, as we fre- 

 quently see recommended, prick them off at once into five-inch pots, 

 putting about half-a-dozen bulbs in each. Keep them steadily 

 growing through the winter in a temperature of about GO', and give 

 just sufficient water to keep the foliage fresh and green. It is not 

 necessary, or desirable, to dry the bulbs off in the winter ; but should 

 any show a disposition to go to rest, by all means withhold water 

 from them, and place the puts upon a cool bottom in the greenhouse. 

 There will not be many that will want to go to rest the first winter, 

 or need drying off. 



This brings us to the spring potting; and before I go any further 

 I had better say a few words about the compost most suitable for 

 them. This can be disposed of in a few words, for they require 

 nothing beyond good turfy loam full of fibre, and mellow from 

 having laid by for the pi'evious six or twelve months, mixed with a 

 fifth part of thoroughly-decayed hotbed manure. The soil should 

 be used moderately rough, excepting for the first potting, as the 

 bulbs are then small, and will not readily root into rough stufl'. 

 When they are potted oft' singly into small pots, the soil should be 

 chopped up rather fine, and of course a liberal quantity of silver- 



