568 THE GARDENER. [Dec. 



sun from the young plants. Keep them moist by occasionally giving 

 them a gentle dewing with a syringe, and in three weeks they will 

 require pricking off into thumb-pots, using a compost the same as that 

 used for raising the seedlings. A small piece of turf is all that is 

 needful for drainage. Place them somewhere out of the reach of the 

 sun, where they can be kept cool and moist, till they are ready for 

 shifting into larger pots — 4-inch pots are large enough. For drainage 

 use one crock and a little rough turf; pot them firmly. The compost 

 for this and subsequent repottings to consist of five parts strong fibry 

 loam to one of rotted cow-dung, and silver-sand one-sixth of the whole, 

 putting the cow-dung through a J-inch sieve. Place them in a cold 

 frame, so situated as to have no sun from eight in the morning till from 

 four to five in the afternoon. Keep the lights off, except in wet 

 weather, and then have plenty of air on, both back and front. Repot 

 into 6-inch pots directly they are w^ell rooted all round the ball, and 

 return them to the cold frame. By the middle of September move 

 them into an airy pit, and in another fortnight shift them into 8-inch 

 pots. In December repot them finally into 10-inch pots, "when it will 

 be only safe to tie each of the shoots to a stake, in case of accidental 

 breakage. Up till the time they are coming into flower they require 

 little in the way of training. The lowermost side-shoots must be broken 

 off for the matter of 3 inches above the soil, and the point of the lead- 

 ing shoot must be taken out three pairs of leaves higher up ; pinch 

 them once more in September, and again in December for the last 

 time. With regard to watering, let at least five days elapse after re- 

 potting before any water be given (both the ball of the plant and the 

 compost ought to be moist when repotted), afterwards keep constantly 

 moist. Use manure-water made from cow-dung as soon as the bloom- 

 ing-pots are well filled with roots ; give it very weak at first, and water 

 with it every time the plant requires • watering. By the time the 

 flowers are showing, they will require watering in fine weather twice 

 ar-day. Keep on with manure- water till they are done flowering, as, if 

 they are well fed, they will keep developing flowers for a long time. A 

 look-out must be kept for aphis, and on their first appearance give 

 them a thorough smoking two evenings in succession. If the plants 

 get dry, they will be sure to be infested with greenfly, but even under 

 the best treatment frequent visits from them may be expected. Re- 

 move all decaying leaves from them, and do not grow anything else in 

 the pots except the rightful occupants, and they will in return for your 

 pains be a "feather in your cap." 



Seed may be sown any time up till August for ordinary greenhouse 

 purposes, and the same general cultural remarks apply to them, differ- 

 ing in greater or less degree according to the time the seed is sown. 



R. P. B. 



