80 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



soil to a minimum. It is hardly Avorth while growing them longer 

 than three years, as younger plants do as well ; a place out of doors may 

 be found for them generally. The Pelargonium appreciates to the 

 full an airy structure. In such, there need be no trouble from disease ; 

 but place them in a structure limited in air volume or deficient in 

 ventilation, and they will not thrive. It is simply nonsense to starve 

 them into blooming. When growing, keep them moist at root, and get 

 the pots lilled with roots, then there will be no trouble to get them to 

 flower profusely. I like them to get rather dry after repotting them, 

 using the compost in a medium condition of moisture ; afterwards I 

 keep them moist at root. Plants lifted from the flower-garden in 

 autumn, and potted in the smallest pots the roots can be got into, 

 and in the spring shaken out and repotted with the others, make use- 

 ful plants. There is not probably a better way of getting nice plants 

 of the tricolors and bicolors than by this means ; these do well treated 

 the same as zonals. When by any means a plant does become unhealthy, 

 and it is not desirable to consign it to the rubbish-heap, shake the soil 

 from the roots, wash them in soft water, sprinkling sand over them ; 

 then pot in the smallest pot practicable, place in a warm medium airy 

 house, and success will be pretty certain. The doubles are stronger 

 growers than the zonals, make more roots, and consequently require 

 more water, but bloom well in the same-sized pots. 



There are a few sorts rather difficult to propagate — such are Golden 

 Chain, Avalanche, Lee's Victory, Rollison's Unique, Lady Plymouth, 

 the Pheasant's Foot, more especially the finest cut sort, and probably 

 some others. These ought to be placed in a warm house, in which 

 there is not much water thrown about, and a free circulation of air 

 kept up. With ordinary attention, they strike well in such a place. 



If any one should look this over whose space for growing plants is 

 measured by the dimensions of his window-sills, and who has found 

 a difficulty in getting his geraniums to behave ^' all the year round " 

 as he would like, let him try them in limited pot-room : if well supplied 

 witli water, they will bloom better than if grown in large pots, and 

 winter better also. If wintered in a heated room, they will require 

 water oftener than those in an unheated apartment. They may, after 

 having been dried off, have all the leaves picked off and be stowed away 

 in a cool dry place till spring. I tried some thus last winter, only 

 they were placed in a room devoted to dish-washing and kindred pur- 

 poses, the water in which used to be frozen in sharp frosty mornings : 

 only one plant succumbed. Fuchsias did not do so well, but a lemon- 

 scented Verbena kept safely. , R. P. B. 



