THE FLORAL WORLD AUD GARDEN GUIDE. 



109 



forwardest to prodnce large heads. Sow 



for tlie autumn supply. 



Celery. — In pricking out, choose a hard 

 bottom for the bed, on which lay four 

 inches of rotten dung, and two inches of 

 light rich soil. Handle the plants ten- 

 derly, water lightly and regularly, and 

 keep the lights over till they look brisk and 

 growing. They will life from such a bed 

 with vigorous roots, and at the first plant- 

 ing out, choose the forwardest plants and 

 let the others remain for the next set of 

 trenches. 



Chrysanthemums make nice plants for 

 ordinai-y purposes from May cuttings, and 

 better witliout than with bottom-lieat. 



Cucumbers hiFrames will require plentj' 

 of air and a brisk bottom-heat. Ee-line 

 the beds where necessary. Train and thin 

 the shoots. After lining, give pl&nty of 

 water round the insides of the frames. Sow 

 or strike cuttings for succession. Ridge 

 cucumbers to be planted out under hand- 

 lights or trenches two and a-half feet 

 wide, and one foot deep, filled with dung 

 twice round to a foot above the level. The 

 dung should not be soiled over for a few 

 dayg after making the bed. 



Cuttings of all the bedders should be 

 taken as ftr as they can be spared, either 

 by bushy plants, or to stop leaders of those 

 that ought to be bushy. Always allow 

 the plants cut from to break before dis- 

 turbing them at the root, as one check is 

 8ufBcient at a time. Hardy spring flower- 

 ing plants may be piopagated from cut- 

 tings as soon as they have flowered, and 

 a stock of Alyssum, Arabis, double Wales, 

 etc., got lap very quickly and with less 

 trouble than by sowing seeds. 



Dahlias should never go out till quite 

 strong, unless to be protected every night 

 with inverted flower-pots, each pot to he 

 covered with a mat. Dahlias should be 

 potted in rich stuff, to insure strong plants, 

 before planting out, and be gradually har- 

 dened. Cuttings put in now will root in 

 a few days, so tliat sorts of which the stock 

 is small may soon be secured. 



Edgings newly formed to be watered in 

 dry weather. Saxifraga Icelandica makes 

 a beautiful bright green edging for^a close 

 line. 



Fuchsias for exhibition to have frequent 

 and regular attention, the growth to be 

 symmetrical, plants never to lack moisture ; 

 not much sun. Bedding fuchsias are best 

 from cuttings of the season, the old stools 

 to be thrown away. Make the beds deep 

 and rich with plenty of old dung and good 

 leaf-mould. 



Geraniums struck now will make fine 

 plants to bloom from July to November. 



Cuttings of geraniums should now he in- 

 serted singly in thumb pots, so as to be 

 ready for shifting to GO's without injury to 

 the roots as soon as large enough. 



Potatoes. — Hoe between the rows as 

 soon as the plants appear, and hoe fre- 

 quently irrespective of weeds and moulding 

 up. If planted deep enough in the first in- 

 stance, we consider further moulding an 

 injury to them. 



Fruit Gahdev. — Plums and pears, 

 and indeed all bush and pyramid fruits, 

 will want pinciiing in to the third or fourth 

 leaf from the base. Where large crops of 

 fruit are set, thin severely, but not all at 

 once, as the more fruit the poorer will its 

 quality be. Give strawberries plenty of 

 water. If raspberries have not been mulched 

 give them at once a top-dressing of half- 

 rotten dung. Do not dig it in. 



Hyacinths to be kept green until they 

 have completed their growth. If care- 

 lessly turned out from pots and glasses, the 

 hot sun and dry winds will all but kill 

 them. They really want kindness, and it 

 is best to turn them out with great care in 

 a bed of rich sandy soil in a frame, and 

 keep them rather close until the foliage be- 

 gins to turn yellow ; then expose them to 

 the full sun to encourage ripening, hut do 

 not touch the bulbs for at least a fortnight 

 after the leaves have quite perished. By 

 that time the bulbs will be ripe, and may 

 he cleaned and stored away. 



Orchid House. — In the Indian and 

 Mexican houses abundant moisture and 

 a liberal temperature may he allowed. By 

 far the greater number of the most valued 

 species derive their chief subsistence from 

 the atmosphere, hence frequent sprinkling 

 of the paths and stages should be prac- 

 tised. Where there are large plants need- 

 ing abundance of atmospheric moisture, 

 the walls and tables near them should be 

 drenched frequently, and the tanks should 

 be kept full. This treatment will be most 

 needed by Saccolabiums, Vandas, Phalse- 

 nopsis, Dendrobiums, and Aerides, which 

 make little progress unless liberally 

 treated. Manage, however, to get the 

 houses rather dry once a day, by means of 

 ventilation, so as, by shutting up and 

 watering, to imitate the natural deposition 

 of dew of the jungles, from which these 

 plants come. When syringing, use a very 

 fine rose to cause the water to fall in a 

 shower. Plants on blocks must be dipped 

 twice a day. Plants recently potted must 

 be kept alive chiefly by means of atmo- 

 spheric moisture, until established, when 

 they may have clipping and syringing as 

 required. In any case of accident to a 

 plant, cut away at once any bruised leaves. 



