343 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



flower is more easily cultivated than the Pelargonium, probably none is 

 more generally mismanaged. 



At the blooming time some shade should be given to the flowers 

 during bright, hot, sunny weather, to prolong the bloom, and prevent 

 it from being scorched. Immediately after blooming, the plants 

 should be placed out of doors on a spot not exposed to heavy rains, 

 and water be sparingly given, so that the wood can become well rip- 

 ened ; for hard well-ripened wood is of the utmost value. After cut- 

 ting down the plants, leaving a "bottom" corresponding to the size 

 of the plant, they should be placed in a greenhouse or frame by them- 

 selves, and kept dry, and exposed to the sun and air, and protected 

 from rain only. In about a month the buds will have pushed suffi- 

 ciently to intimate that the plants should be repotted ; they should 

 then be shaken out of the pots, the whole of the soil removed, and 

 the roots pruned, and be potted in small pots, kept in a close shaded 

 frame for a few days, and gradually inured to the light, when more air 

 may be given. In October, a shift should be made into the blooming- 

 pots, an operation requiring some care, that the growing shoots be not 

 rubbed off. Water but sparingly, and avoid wetting the foliage dur- 

 ing the winter months. When the growing season sets in, water 

 thoroughly as the plants require it. 



As specimens for exhibition require some management differing 

 from that required for those plants intended for the decoration of the 

 conservatory, some hints on this matter may not be unacceptable. 

 In growing Pelargoniums for exhibition, experience is of the utmost 

 value, wmile forethought is scarcely less important. Supposing a 

 good head of blooms is required in May, there must be a judicious 

 selection of plants for early work, and these should have their last 

 shifts not later than the beginning of October, and by January the 

 pots should be tolerably full of roots, and the plants have made 

 strong growth. At this stage they require some encouragement, by 

 putting on a little fire early in the afternoon, just sufficient to raise 

 the temperature of the house ; when warm, the flues or pipes can be 

 syringed if the weather be open and fine. The steam rising from the 

 pipes excites the plants to make growth, and as the season advances 

 the plants should be encouraged to increase this. The shoots should 

 be tied out singly, so as to admit light and air to every part of the 

 plant. As the season advances, water should be more freely given, 

 but care must be taken not to make the soil too wet, so as to induce a 

 weak sappy growth ; air should be given on all favourable occasions, 

 but cold draughts of air should not be allowed to play directly on the 

 plants. Plants intended for exhibition in June, July, and August, 

 should not be excited into growth so early as those intended for early 



