THE CALCEOLARIA. 



81 



artificial heat be given in hard weather ; and 

 the Calceolaria does not thrive so well, nor 

 grow so handsome in heat ; they are apt to 

 draw, and it is the very last plant that should 

 be at all drawn, on account of its spoiling the 

 habit and aj)pearance, and weakening the 

 flower stems. It is necessary to keep them 

 near the glass, and it is almost impossil)le to 

 have them too near. Besides, plants in frames 

 or pits are so well under the eye, and we can 

 see so much better v ''en they require water. 



Watering and (Iiving Air. — Although 

 the Calceolaria is, with cai-e, among the easi- 

 est managed subjects, that care must not be 

 withheld, for it is the most liable to dam- 

 age by the least neglect. Too much water 

 will damp them off cjuickly ; too little Avill 

 destroy them, or hand them over to the red 

 spider, which almost instantaneously attacks 

 an unhealthy plant. The compost should ne- 

 ver become dry, and, except when the plants 

 are growing rapidly, not too often watered ; 

 there is never, or at any rate, there is rarely, 

 sufficient attention paid to this important 

 operation. It is almost destructive to omit 

 watering one hour longer than the time they 

 ought to have it. In mild weather the lights 

 should be taken off; and this is the time 

 when, if the weather be dry, the moisture 

 rapidly passes off and requires renewal. On 

 the other hand, in cloudy or dull, though mild 

 weather, the moisture may be retained for a 

 long time. It should never be thought too 

 much trouble to turn out a plant, to examine 

 the state of the soil and the roots. The great- 

 est danger of suffering from wet is in the 

 winter and early spring months. The greatest 

 danger of suffering from want of water is 

 after the spring growth commences in earnest, 

 and the flower stems begin their work ; for 

 the plant takes up a good deal of moisture, 

 and the roots get near the side of the pot. 

 If the weather be very foggy or damp, the 

 frames are better covered up with the glasses 

 quite close, but not darkened with mats or 

 cloth, unless there is frost, or danger of it. 

 The frames should not be opened in windy 

 weather, unless the air be mild. In the S] ring 

 months, if there be a genial shower, the lights 

 may be removed, that the plants may have the 

 benefit of it. One precaution is very neces- 

 sary in the application of water ; it always 

 ought to bo of fully equal temperature with 

 the atmosphere ; and, if it be not so naturally, 



which is seldom the case, unless it be exposed 

 to the sun in shallow vessels, it ought to be 

 made so by putting a little warm water into 

 the water-pot, so as to raise the tempera- 

 ture a little. Water kept in a heated house 

 would do ; but there is no way so simple as to 

 put a little heated water to the cjuantity you 

 are using. Many plants suffer greatly from 

 the chill given by pump and other cold water, 

 when they are sending forth their young 

 growth. 



Shading. — As the warm days advance, the 

 full power of the sun would be injurious to the 

 plants, and rapidly dry up and heat the soil 

 in the pots. To prevent this, a thin or trans- 

 parent cloth should be used, that will not ex- 

 clude the light, but yet keep off the power of 

 the sun ; as the plants however want air. (he 

 glasses should be propped up at all four cor- 

 ners, with blocks of wood, or bricks, or flower 

 pots, or some other contrivance which will al- 

 low the air to pass freely over all the plants ; 

 and the shading is only to be continued in the 

 strongest heat of the day. At morning and 

 evening, when the power is not great, they 

 may have the benefit of it with the glasses off, 

 until the period when the color of the flowers 

 begins to show, when they must be still more 

 carefully protected against the sun. 



Treatment to the Time of Blooming. 

 — In the spring, when the plants begin to grow, 

 the pots rapidly fill with roots, and it will be 

 necessary to examine them, by turning out 

 the balls of two or three occasionally, to see 

 how far they may require shifting to larger 

 pots, from 48s to 32s. The operation has to 

 be performed in a manner precisely similar 

 to that of the first shift from 60s to 48s, and 

 they must be treated in all respects the same. 

 In a comparatively short time even these will 

 be filled with roots ; if the plants, from their 

 size, require one shift more, the state of the 

 roots must be examined as before recom- 

 mended, and the shifting will be just the same 

 as well as the treatment afterwards. As the 

 stems rise for bloom they may require support, 

 but proper habited plants will not, unless they 

 are drawn up. If, however, for the purpose 

 of traveling or for exhibition, tying up be- 

 comes necessary, it should be done with very 

 slight twigs of osier, with the bark on, and 

 as soon as the flowers begin to swell and take 

 their places in their bunches : the twig should 

 reach above the flowers and be tied loosely, 



