454 THE GARDENER. [Oct. 



for a time in a cold frame, and afterwards planted out during a fav- 

 ourable spell of weather towards the end of May, when danger from 

 frost is past. A good time to make the first sowing is about the 1st 

 of May, but only then if the soil is dry and warm — for if cold and wet, 

 they will be apt to rot altogether, or come away very weakly at best, — so 

 much so that those sown a fortnight later under more favourable circum- 

 stances will soon surpass them. Should circumstances permit, sow at 

 the beginning of May, at the middle of May, at the end, and the last 

 sowing about the middle of June, when they can be protected from 

 the effects of frost, as the least frost destroys them. Our experience in 

 a somewhat cold late locality tells us that either earlier or later sow- 

 ings are, even in the best of seasons, unprofitable, and in ordinary sea- 

 sons quite useless. 



Scarlet-Runners require treatment precisely similar, only, they grow 

 to a great height, and so require to be staked in the manner of Peas. 

 The scarlet blossoms are very ornamental, and for this reason they are 

 often used for training on cottage walls or over any unsightly object ; 

 and as they grow rapidly in ordinary seasons, they are well suited for 

 such purposes, besides yielding a profusion of pods exceedingly useful 

 for the kitchen. All leguminous plants, commonly used as food, are 

 distinguished by their extreme nutritiousness. Gardener. 



NOTES ON DECORATIVE GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 



THE CINERARIA. 



As a decorative plant either for house or greenhouse, or for cutting 

 from, few plants can surpass the Cineraria. The variety and colours 

 of the best strains of it are very beautiful, and as the time and labour 

 expended in the cultivation of them must be the same, whether the 

 plants turn out to be good varieties or otherwise, it is worth taking 

 some pains to secure a good strain. For general decorative work it is 

 best to raise the plant from seed, as there is less trouble with them, 

 and they almost always show the largest heads of bloom. In order 

 to have a succession of flowers, a pinch of seed should be sown twice 

 in the year. The first sowing should be made early in February in a 

 well-drained pan. Sow the seed thinly, and cover with a piece of glass 

 in order to afford the necessary shade and closeness, until the seed be- 

 gins to vegetate. Allow a little air as soon as it is well brairded, so as 

 to harden the young seedlings. As soon as they are large enough to 

 handle, prick them out singly into thumb-pots, and plunge them in a 

 box of leaf-mould, sawdust, or cocoa-nut fibre, in order to keep them at 

 a proper degree of moisture and to save repeated waterings. They 

 must be kept at this stage in a temperature of from 55° to 60°. In 

 the course of a few weeks they will require shifting into larger pots, 



