64 THE FLORIST. 



over some balloon or globe-shaped trellis, until they remind one of a 

 crow's nest rather than a representation of high culture. Indeed, I 

 have never yet seen a plant at our great metropolitan meetings that 

 came within a mile of my ideas of what a good, neat, well-grown 

 well-flowered specimen ought to be. 



The following observations on its culture are offered more with a 

 view of being improved on than with the idea that they constitute 

 the summit of perfection. 



Take a nice healthy plant in a 3-inch pot, and prepare a compost 

 of one half turfy loam, the other half equal parts of leaf-mould, rotten 

 cow-dung, and good peat, with silver-sand and small crocks or char- 

 coal, to insure sufficient porosity ; give a liberal shift, and plunge in 

 a mild bottom-heat. Tie it to an upright rod. When it has well 

 filled the pot with roots, give it a final shift into a 15 -inch pot, and 

 place it at one end of the house. Do not by any means leave more 

 than one shoot ; train this horizontally along the roof, and if it does 

 well, you may calculate on having from 1*2 to 15 feet of well- 

 ripened wood by autumn ; the plant may then be removed, and coiled 

 round any rough trellis for the winter. During its season of rest it 

 should receive no more water than is barely sufficient to keep the 

 leaves from shrivelling, nor should the temperature be above 55°, or 

 below 45°. 



About the latter part of January, or beginning of February, it 

 should be knocked out of its pot, carefully removing the greater part 

 of the soil ; and with the same kind, and the same sized pot, repot. 

 A good strong and neat barrel-shaped trellis should be prepared, on 

 which coil the plant in a spiral form, the coils being about six inches 

 apart. If you have more than sufficient to cover the trellis in this 

 way, cut the remainder off. A good bottom-heat, and the common 

 routine of stove-plant culture, will soon induce the plant to push from 

 the axis of every leaf a strong robust shoot, which should all follow 

 the direction of the stem, thereby covering the whole of the trellis 

 without crowding, and totally preventing the possibility of tying one 

 shoot over another. 



In due time you may expect to see it literally, covered with its 

 delightful bundles of fragrant snow-white flowers. The autumn finds 

 it again well ripened ; prune each lateral to one eye, and leave again 

 a single rod ; pursue the same winter and spring treatment, and you 

 may calculate on similar results ; after which its next shift should be 

 to the rubbish- heap. Of course, young plants should have been duly 

 attended to, to fill the " vacant places." 



Timothy Verbose. 



ONE WORD MORE ON "DRESSING" FLOWERS. 



It was with no inconsiderable amount of gratifi ation that I recog- 

 nised your old and valued correspondent "Iota" again in your pages; 

 while it is always a pleasant pastime to run through the flowing 

 periods of Mr. Dodwell. But both gratification on the one hand and 



