DECEMBER. .id!) 



a succession of flowers is produced lasting from April till August or 

 September. During this period 1 keep the night temperature of the 

 pit at about 65°, and, as the plants are syringed and shut down early, 

 while the sun has any power, the temperature in the afternoon of 

 sunny days frequently rises to 90°. The dung lining is kept constantly 

 worked and renewed, so as to throw its steam into the pit. The 

 Gardenia appears to flourish best when supplied with dung steam, and 

 I have never found the strongest dung vapour hurt the plants ; on the 

 contrary, the leaves become almost black with health, and the blooms 

 produced are much larger when assisted by dung heat. Manure water 

 is supplied regularly to the plants whilst blooming, and the black 

 fly, when troublesome, is destroyed by fumigation. I now and then 

 syringe the plants with diluted tobacco water, and when brown scale 

 appears it is washed off with the same, with the addition of common 

 brown soap-suds. About September I stop firing ; the plants by this 

 time being pretty well exhausted, I now take them all out of the 

 pit, cut off the roots which have run through the holes of the pots, and, 

 supposing the plants already in full-sized pots — 15 or 18-inch — the old 

 soil is shaken from the roots, which are reduced a little, and then 

 potted afresh. The pit is next emptied and filled again with fresh 

 leaves, and the plants plunged, placing them on bricks to prevent the 

 roots again getting through. 1 now keep them close for a fortnight, 

 until the roots have got hold again, when the dry treatment is com- 

 menced, the night temperature b'0° and day 80°, with no more syringing 

 or vapour than will suffice to keep the plants free from red spider. By 

 these means the summer wood becomes matured and firm, new growths 

 are arrested, and each shoot terminates in a flower bud, which only 

 requires the application of heat in the spring to bring them out. 



The winter treatment consists in keeping them rather dry, compara- 

 tively cool — 55° to 70° — with air on all occasions ; and, as detailed 

 above, when forcing commences, the bottom heat is turned up, and the 

 pots set entirely in the leaves, without bricks, for the summer's growth. 

 I allow them to root into the leaves as much as they please during the 

 summer, as it helps them to produce blooms in abundance. By this 

 plan hundreds of dozens of blooms are produced through the season, for 

 which the largest plants are best adapted, and the blossoms as a matter 

 of course are all cut. If the plants are intended to be used in bloom, 

 much smaller plants will be required : from 6 or 8 to 10-inch pots are 

 best, which will furnish nice sized plants. The treatment will be the 

 same as detailed above, but as the blooms expand the plants should be 

 removed from the pit to a damp stove for a few days, and then into 

 an intermediate house, to gradually harden them before placing them 

 in the conservatory or drawing room. As the blooms soon decay in a 

 dry heat, a good succession should be kept up, that the plants may be 

 frequently changed, as they only open a few flowers at a time. For 

 rooms, however, Gardenia radicans and amoena are best suited, as they 

 produce a good show of blossoms at one time, and as such are more 

 valuable for pot plants, but very inferior to florida for cutting. Their 

 treatment is precisely similar to what has been given for G. florida. 



Delta. 

 vor-. xiir., no. cxuv. b b 



