THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 197 



Keep ihem groioinrj, 'keep tliem growing, Jceep them groicing. Tou see 

 I am imitating JJemosthenes ; when they asked him the seci'et of 

 oratory, he said, "Action; yes, Action; and again. Action!" If 

 you do not keep them growing, why, they won't grow ; but the 

 vermin will, and you will regret it. As soon as another lot can be 

 taken out of the seed pan, pot them, and so on till the pan is empty. 

 By the way, the best method of lifting them out is with a bit of stick 

 or the sharp end of a wood tally. 



Tlie after management consists in potting on as fast as they need 

 it. After the end of August an intermediate house is the best place 

 for them, or a shady, cool part of a stove. They do well where 

 Legonias grow freely, and the same moist atuiosphere will suit both. 

 At the first shift out of thumb pots the compost should be light, 

 silky lo;im, such as will crumble to dust between the fingers without 

 soiling them ; what we call " forest loam " on the north side of Lon- 

 don is the best ever used for the purpose. Take two parts of this 

 loam, one part good leaf-mould, one part fresh horse droppings, 

 rather dry, and the straw all removed. Mix this together, and 

 break the lumps, but do not sift it. Pot into 60's, then to 48 size, 

 and so on, till you have them in eight or ten-inch pots. But if done 

 on a small scale, very nice plants may be flowered in pots of seven 

 or eight inches width. Potting must be done at least once every 

 three weeks all the autumn and winter, and about the middle of 

 i'ebruary you may consider the potting business at an end, and begin 

 to think about flowers. At that time pick out the strongest plants, 

 and remove from the stove to a warm greenhouse. In the first or 

 second week in March take them to cold pits, and keep them rather 

 closely shut if an east wind blow, but during those bursts of warm, 

 moist weather, with a west wind, which generally occur in March, 

 the lights may be taken off" for a few hours, and the plants may 

 enjoy a slight wetting. As the season advances, and they acquire 

 some degree of hardiness by this treatment, give them more air, and 

 at last expose them fully, but always shade them from very strong 

 sunshine. As a matter of course, they will all find their way to cold 

 pits by this course of treatment. They will have been grown with 

 the aid of heat, and flowered in a cool free air, and their appearance 

 at last will repay you for all your pains. 



Vermin will occasionally appear, especially during September 

 and February, even with the best of treatment. To allow them to 

 get ahead is to sacrifice the plants. Shut them up when their leaves 

 are dry, and smoke them thoroughly with pure tobacco. Do not 

 risk the use of any preparation of tobacco, unless it be " tobacco 

 tissue," which consists of tobacco only, and is merely prepared by 

 pressing, not with cliemicals of any kind. I have not tried the aphis 

 wash upon them, but have no doubt at all it would cleanse them 

 thoroughly, and without harm. The way to do it would be to mix 

 the wash according to the directions that accompany it, with water, 

 in a large tub or pan, and turn the plants upside down and dip them, 

 keeping them in the mixture a few seconds, and then holding them 

 above it to drain back before placing them on their feet again. 

 Dipping wets every part of a plant, syringing does not. I say 



