MAY. 155 



inches in depth with the same compost. These startings are in 

 January for May and June blooming, in March for July, August, and 

 September blooming, and in the latter end of May A. coccinea, A. 

 rosea, and A. pedunculata for December and January. Until the 

 shoots have appeared above the surface they must be kept moderately 

 dry. When the plants are about two inches high, raise them from the 

 box or pan in which they were started, and put them in their flowering 

 pans, leaving a space of two inches between each plant, and using the 

 same compost as recommended above, enriched by the addition of one- 

 fourth part of old Mushroom-bed dung, which will help to meet the 

 great demand on the soil while the plants are in bloom, and by 

 increasing the porosity of the soil, will prevent water from stagnating 

 in the pans in the early stage of growth. Too much care cannot be 

 exercised in watering when the plants are in their infancy ; if the 

 morning's sunshine catch a leaf in a moist state, either from vapour 

 or careless use of the watering-pot, in a few minutes it will become 

 brown and crumple up, and be materially injured, if not destroyed. 

 I have frequently had to carry the plants from the front to some shady 

 place in the back of the Pine pits, when the atmosphere of the pit was 

 loaded with moisture. Later in the season there is little danger of 

 their suffering. A gentle syringing in the afternoon, with copious 

 waterings of weak liquid manure at least twice a week, when they 

 show bloom, will add to their vigour, enrich the colour of the blooms, 

 and prolong the flowering season. When the plants have taken to 

 their new quarters, pinch the centres out of each leader ; they will then 

 break out with a fine array of moderately strong laterals. One pinching 

 I find sufficient for A. coccinea and species of a similar habit ; twice 

 for A. grandiflora, longiflora, and those of like habit, whilst the straggling 

 nature of A. pedunculata requires three or four pinchings to form a 

 dwarf bushy plant. Let staking be proceeded with early ; for if the 

 shoots once get out of order, half their number will be disjointed in 

 raising them to their proper position. The stakes should be left at least 

 nine inches above the plant, to tack the stems to, in their upward 

 flowering progress. Cultor. 



CULTURE OF THE NEAPOLITAN VIOLET. 



From the middle to the latter end of April I have always found a good 

 time for commencing the culture of this. For the autumn supply I 

 select the strong runners (the side crowns), and plant them out 15 

 inches apart each way in a piece of open ground free from shade. The 

 ground should have been well forked over during winter, and before 

 planting I fork into it two or three inches of well decayed leaf-mould. 

 After planting, I carefully water till the plants are well established, and 

 attend carefully in hoeing, not to bury the crown with mould. I 

 sprinkle them well with water from the engine in the evenings during 

 July and August, while the weather is dry. In summer I go over the 

 plants and remove all superfluous runners (leaving the strong ones, 

 however, which make as good crowns as the centre) ; thus each plant 



