APRIL. 83 



the troublesome little animals before named in such immense num- 

 bers as to make it necessary for me to provide small muslin caps to 

 tie over each inoculated bloom after expelling them, to preserve the 

 farina upon the styles till it has taken effect. I also find it necessary 

 to cover the blooms in like manner containing the anthers not al- 

 ready burst, lest in a short absence in hot weather they may have 

 opened, and on my return I find the farina eaten entirely away, and 

 every anther as clean as an oyster-shell. I sometimes cut a bloom 

 or two, with a few inches of the stem, and place it in a phial of water 

 in a sunny window till the anthers are opened ; and by this means 

 preserve the whole of the farina, which, with care, I find sufficient to 

 fertilise several of my favourite sorts. 



If wet weather should occur at this time, I protect the blooms 

 with a covering of glass or paper for a few days, that my object may 

 not be defeated by having the farina washed away, in which case 

 perfect seed can very seldom be produced ; a wet season is, generally 

 speaking, fatal to my purpose, unless the blooms are proiected by 

 an awning or glass covering. About the second warm day after 

 inoculation, if it has taken effect, the petals invariably collapse and 

 fade, much in the way of a Major Convolvulus. I then consider my 

 intention completed. I like to commence the business of fertilisation 

 as early as I can, in order to give the seed the fairest chance to 

 ripen, which a wet and cold season often makes so difficult, and 

 I find the leading blooms will generally produce the finest seed. The 

 laterals I disbud early ; and I exercise my utmost care to inoculate 

 the different classes of my favourites unerringly correct ; that is to 

 say, Scarlet Bizarres with Scarlet Bizarres, Crimson with Crimson ; 

 the same also with the various colours of Flakes and Picotees ; for 

 by special carefulness in this matter, I can depend upon the class 

 and colour of the flowers my seed will produce with as much cer- 

 tainty as the agriculturist can depend upon his different breeds of 

 cattle and varieties of grain. When it happens that the anthers 

 of a favourite are opened, and there is not another that I wish to 

 cross with it in a proper state for fertilisation, that is, if the styles 

 do not appear above the blooms and are slightly sticky, I fertilise it 

 with its own farina, and am never disappointed in the produce of 

 the seed. 



When the seed-vessel appears ripe, and the seeds brown or ap- 

 proaching to black, I gather the pods with a few inches of branch, 

 tie each sort together, and label them. I keep them in a cool dry 

 room safely on a shelf, or in shallow boxes, or paper bags, till the 

 time of sowing, which is about the third week in April, and sow 

 them in earthen pans, with as much regularity as I can, and not 

 too thickly. I also lightly riddle over them about a quarter of an 

 inch of mould, which I keep moderately moist and under glass, 

 to bring them all up together as nearly as possible. I then take 

 off the glasses, if the weather is mild, and keep them free from 

 weeds, and in a growing state, till the first showery weather in 

 the early part of July, which I find the best time for planting where 

 they are to remain for blooming ; and I take particular care to keep 



