74 



CULTURE OF GERANIUMS. 



withered appearance. Remember that plants, 

 and particularly the Pelargonium, are " tell 

 tales" in this respect, and are sure to expose 

 netrligence. In this climate, with right ma- 

 nagement, these plants grow very vigorously, 

 and are correspondingly succulent ; and if the 

 syringe is used too freely, " spot" and rot is 

 the consequence. If the house is dry, and 

 heated by brick flues, it is much better to 

 damp the side walls and floor so as to produce 

 a genial atmosphere. As fcir as my experi- 

 ence goes, I would say never use the syringe 

 in this case. Although it is so essentially 

 requisite for the Pelargonium when growing 

 freely in England, observation teaches me 

 diff"erently here. When the plants begin to 

 open their blooms, the under side of the 

 glass should be coated over with a mixture of 

 whiting and glue, which will readily wash off 

 when required. This is better than canvass 

 blinds, as they produce too much shade, and 

 make the plants grow weak, and the blooms 

 small and deficient in colour. 



I cannot too much deprecate the common 

 practice of huddling these plants altogether 

 in a corner during the winter and spring 

 months in small pots, and when the weather 

 opens, turning such scrubby things into the 

 flower borders, in rich soil, where they stand 

 like a boy upon stilts, for a while, opening a 

 few meagre flowers ; and when the roots find 

 their way out from their former cramped 

 up abode, the tops grow with over-luxuriance, 

 and if there is any bloom at all produced, it 

 is small and scanty. If it is desirable to 

 have them in the flower garden, turn out 

 healthy plants with good roots into very poor 

 soil, and mulch the top, and very different 

 results will be obtained ; but as most plant 

 houses are thinned out about the time when 

 they begin to flower, I see no reason why 

 they may not be left inside where the flowers 

 will expand in perfection ; and wdiat would 

 otlerwise be an empty space becomes an or- 



namental feature. Of course, this does not 

 apply to the scarlets, or the strong growing, 

 winter flowering roots. 



Criterion of a perfect Show Pelar- 

 gonium. — The plant should be of bushy 

 habit, vigorous, but not rampant growth, 

 and disposed to flower freely. The leaves, a 

 glossy dark green, flrm in substance, and well 

 supported by the petiole. The flower stems 

 strong, and sufficiently long to elevate the 

 bundles of flowers above the foliage. The 

 bunches should contain from five to nine 

 flowers, of a thick velvety substance, bright 

 and distinct in colour, the outline forming a 

 perfect circle ; the petals a little cupped, but 

 not so much as to prevent free expansion, 

 with a clear white bottom, — the two upper 

 ones having a decided blotch of a brilliant 

 maroon colour, showing a clear edge of the 

 ground colour ; the outer surface perfectly 

 free from indentation or waviness. The fancy 

 varieties may have the blotch over the whole 

 of the top petals, or likewise in the centre of 

 each of the lower ones, or merely a penciling. 

 The ground colours tolerated in the former 

 class are white, pink or rose, crimson, purple 

 and scarlet ; in the latter, brilliance and dis- 

 tinctness of any shade. 



The annexed list contains a few of those 

 most worthy of cultivation ; and though some 

 of them are not of the newest, they are never- 

 theless of the best quality. I may here men- 

 tion that all the newest are not the best, 

 though some of them are perfection itself: 



White. 

 Alpha, (Walker's.) 

 Aiexandriiia. 

 Camilla, (Wilson's.) 

 Chaplel, (Lyiie's.) 

 Eiiclianlress., (AVilson's.) 

 Imosene. (liViic's.) 

 Pearl. (Drurv's ) 

 Queen of Sli'eba, (Wilson's.) 

 Witch, (Garth's.) 



Puih or Light Rose. 



Aerial, (Foster's.) 

 Amelia, (Hovle's.) 

 Beauty of Clapliam, (Saun- 



der's.) 

 Constellation, (Garth's.) 

 Euclid, (Walker's.) 



Hebe's Lip, (Beck's.) 

 King: of S^axony, (T,yne's.) 

 Merry Monarch, (I,yne's.) 

 Modesty. (Lyne's ) 

 Sir J. NeM'ton, (Wilson's.) 



Rosy Red or Scarlet. 

 Alladin, (Lyne's.) 

 Auffusta. (iloyle's.) 

 Comte d'Orsay. 

 Duchess of Sutherland, 



(Gaines'.) 

 Duchess of Leicester, 



(Gaines' ) 

 Duke of Cornwall. (Lyne's.) 

 Kin? of Saxony, (Gaines'.) 

 Mars. (Garth's'.) 

 The Cid, (Foster's.) 



