20S THE FLORIST. 



M-hich is generally about the second week in March. They receive 

 another shift in April, and those that are intended for large speci- 

 mens a third in May (using 18 or 20-inch pots), and a mixture con- 

 sisting of equal quantities of good strong maiden loam, peat or bog 

 mould, burnt clay, leaf- mould, and cow- manure, with a little white 

 sand. These materials are well mixed together, and, if dry, are 

 moistened to prevent their running too close in the pots. In potting 

 I use a large quantity of drainage, and plenty of rubble stones, small 

 potsherds, and coarse river-sand amongst the mixture. I make the 

 mixture just firm, but am very careful to leave it quite porous. I 

 give very little water till the roots reach the sides of the pots : it is 

 increased as the plants and the season advance, giving heat and 

 moisture in proportion. Too much stress cannot be put upon making 

 a proper mechanical arrangement of rich, porous, and well-drained 

 soils, which are essential for the healthy development of plants of 

 the nature of the Lisianthus. 



When the young shoots are sufficiently advanced, I stop them 

 immediately above the second joint; each shoot will then produce 

 four: they require stopping about three times. The last stopping 

 for plants required to bloom early should take place in the first week 

 in June ; and for plants required to bloom later, in the first week in 

 July. As they advance in growth the branches will require to be 

 tied out with sticks, to make round and well-formed plants. 



When the plants are growing freely, they are sometimes at- 

 tacked with a disease at the base, which is produced by the moist 

 and confined atmosphere that is required for their fine growth. To 

 prevent this I allow the surface to become quite dry once a week, 

 during which the plants are supplied with moisture from feeders or 

 pans, in which the pots are placed for a few hours, being careful not 

 to allow any stagnant water to remain about them. As soon as the 

 blooms begin to expand, I keep a drier atmosphere, and expose them 

 to more air and light, which much improves their colour. 



As to the result of the above practice, I may mention, in con- 

 clusion, that I grew some seedling plants in 1844, one of which I 

 exhibited at the Horticultural Society's Garden in July 1845, which 

 was awarded a silver Knightian medal, accompanied with this note 

 by the judges : ' Had this been exhibited in its proper place, it would 

 have received a higher medal.' In July 1846, a second plant re- 

 ceived a large silver medal; and to a third the same award was 

 made in July 1847. Another plant was also shewn in the same 

 year at the Royal Botanic Society's Garden, Regent's Park, and was 

 awarded the first prize as a single specimen of superior cultivation. 

 The plant that I exhibited at the Horticultural Society in July 1847 

 had five hundred blooms expanded at once, ten days after the exhi- 

 bition." 



