THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



89 



time of year that may be. We never 

 allow camellias to show themselves out; 

 but as soon as the new shoots begin to 

 push and there are still a few blooms 

 not expanded, we remove those blooms, 

 being content with what the plants have 

 given us already, and seeing they are 

 in the humour to grow, we help them 

 with moderate heat and a moist atmos- 

 phere. If H. R. and others would do 

 the same, and he careful to get the wood 

 well ripened, we should hear less of buds 

 falling ; hut there are not many people 

 who have the courage to sacrifice a few 

 of the last blooms. 

 Cotton Plant, Cerastittm tomentosfm. 

 — I put some seeds of a cotton plant in 

 a hot-bed, and they quickly germinated. 

 Will you tell me how to manage the 

 young plants, and what temperature 

 they require ? We have a greenhouse 

 and bark-bed. In one of Mr. Hibberd's 

 papers he remarked that the value of 

 Cerastium tomentosum depended on 

 the way it was used. We have not suc- 

 ceeded with it, and will be glad of a 

 hint on the subject. — Sudbrook. [We 

 ought to know what is the species of 

 cotton plant which has been taken in 

 hand by Sudbrook. The best for or- 

 namental purposes is Gossypium hir- 

 sutum, a biennial shrub which grows 

 like a currant-bush, and Jlowers pro- 

 fusely. Having got up the plants in a 

 hot-bed, pot them singly in small pots 

 in rich light soil, and replace in the 

 hot-bed. When they have filled the 

 pots with roots, shift to 32-sized pots, 

 and plunge in heat again, keeping them 

 at an average of 65° ; say 60" by night, 

 70° by day. In June place them in a 

 sunny greenhouse, and at the end of 

 July shift to 24 or 18-sized pots, using 

 equal parts of loam, rotten dung, and 

 sharp sand. Winter them in the coolest 

 part of the stove, and keep rather dry ; 

 while growing give abundance of water. 

 Cerastium should be propagated every 

 year by cuttings in spring, and is best 

 got up without the aid of artificial heat. 

 Shoots two inches long make the best 

 cuttings. Remove the lower leaves 

 without tearing the bark of the stem in 

 the operation ; dibble them in close to- 

 gether in pans filled with a mixture of 

 half sand and half loam, and shut them 

 in a frame. In the course of a month 

 they will be well rooted, and may be 

 planted out from the pans without any 

 potting. By this method a close low 

 growth is obtained, and this may be kept 

 to one uniform height by nipping down 



as required. A still simpler way is to 

 dibble the cuttings into the beds where 

 required. If put in thick, they give 

 immediate effect, and get rooted before 

 the leaves lose their colour, and then 

 throw up new growth from the roots in 

 plenty. Cerastium edgings may be 

 made at any time during the summer 

 by this process, and the variegated mint 

 may be used in the same way. We 

 described this process under the head 

 of " Instantaneous Bedding," in the 

 " Garden Oracle " of 1882. 



Plants for a Small Conservatory. — I 

 have fully determined that my little 

 conservatory shall no longer be used for 

 bedding plants, and want you to name 

 me a dozen select little specimens. 

 Among those that thrive I have camel- 

 lias, azaleas, callas, cactus, mesembryan- 

 tiiemums, Acacia armata, and, of course, 

 the usual fuchsias, geraniums, bulbs, 

 primroses, etc. In selecting my plants 

 for me, it may be a guide to know that 

 I have also a pit without fire in which I 

 store genista, fuchsia, myrtles, etc., etc., 

 but in summer this is the hot-house, or 

 almost a moist stove. The names of a 

 few plants that would winter in it would 

 be very acceptable. Magnolia fuscata, 

 Escallonia lnacrantha, variegated ivies, 

 yuccas, ferns, are all wintered here, and 

 occasionally do duty in double windows. 

 By the bye, I do wonder these are not 

 more used. If acceptable, I will send 

 descriptions of mine. [The following 

 are a choice dozen of easily cultivated 

 plants which bloom in a compai'atively 

 small state, and serve well to group 

 with more popular subjects, such as 

 fuchsias, etc., etc. — Boronia serrulata, 

 Chorozema varium, Coleonema gracilis, 

 Epacris miniata, Hovea celsi, Kalosan- 

 thes coccinea, Leschenhaultia splendens, 

 Oxylobium Pultentea, Salvia splendens, 

 Statice Holfordii, Styphelia tubiilora ; 

 and last, but not least, Tangerine 

 orange. By the help of the pit you 

 could grow Agapanthus, Lilium gigan- 

 teum, and the Japanese species and 

 varieties of Lilium, Tritomas, Tritonias, 

 and, in fact, any of the Cape bulbs — 

 calceolarias, cinerarias, cyclamens, 

 daphnes, ericas, hydrangeas, el hoc 

 genus omne. We shall be glad of an 

 account of your double window. 



Cheap Tallies. — I find that wood tallies, 

 when written upon with blacklead pen- 

 cil and tied with cord, are apt to get 

 lost or illegible, I am now cutting 

 sheet zinc into strip3 say 2 in. by '| in, 

 make a hole at one end with a bradawl 



