C U L T M' A T I N OF T H I<] C A L C E L A II I A . 



Tlie cultivation of the Calceolaria from the seed, requires a little extra care in 

 till' oarlv state of its culture. To insure success in the raising of seedlincrs, it is 

 rc(|uisitc to attend to the fullowinnj directions as early as possible. The scfd 

 should be sown in pots, prepared in the following manner : The )»ot to be half- 

 (illod with drainajre, over that roufzjh siftinj^s of the mould, and the surface covered 

 witli soil as line as possilde, half' of which should be composed of silver sand. 

 When prepared thus, it should l)e watered with a fine rose, immediately after 

 which sow the seed carefully, without any covering of soil. The pots should then 

 be placed under a close frame or hand-glass, in a shady part of the garden, no 

 artificial heat being recpiircd. In large establishments, of course, they may have 

 l)roi)agating or other houses that will do, where the same kind of moist tempera- 

 ture could be obtained; but any exposure to the sun must be carefully guarded 

 against by mats or jiaper. If the situation is of ])roper temperature, they will 

 require watering very seldom. Directly the seedlings are strong enough, they 

 must be pricked off in pots prepared as before, and placed in the same situation ; 

 from the store pots they will require to be potted off singly ; after this the jdants 

 will grow very rapidly. Through the winter, the plants thrive well on the shelves, 

 near the glass, in the greenhouses; and to obtain fine specimens, they must be 

 shifted on freely till the flower-stalks have started, and should always be smoked 

 with tobacco directly the green fly appears, as no })lants in cultivation so readily 

 suffer from this insect as the Calceolaria. ^ 



It is necessary to remark, that one of the most frequent causes of the appear- 

 ance of these injurious insects, is the plant becoming root-hound ; to avoid which 

 evil, it is important that it should frequently be repotted during the growing season. 



These remarks will apply also to the cultivation of the Cineraria, except that 

 this plant is more hardy, and will thrive with less care. 



On the Soil most Suitable for Growing the Rhododendrox. ByJ.W. — 

 Nothing suits the Rhododendron so well as good fibrous peat from an old com- 

 mon. The best specimens are })lanted in nothing else. The peat, in order to suit 

 the Rhododendron, should have plenty of fibre in it, so that it may be taken up 

 in large turfs without falling to pieces ; in this they will be found to flourish 

 amazingly. The beds may be five feet wide, and should have the soil thrown out 

 about eighteen inches in depth, and the space filled up, and a few inches more 

 added at top, with such fibrous ])eat chopped up small. If the soil where the 

 beds are formed be stiff or clayey, drainage had better be provided for, as stag- 

 nant water is the greatest injury to this shrub than can exist. That they grow 

 sometimes in boggy places in their native climate I am aware, and that even the 

 swamps are dry for some distance from the surface in hot weather. The Rhodo- 

 dendron, however, requires a liberal supply of water when the sun has much power, 

 as few shrubs suffer so .much from drought; if we have the means of flooding the 

 beds at such times, nothing can be better. 



For pot culture, a little difference may be made in the soil by the addition of 

 one-third loam from a rich pasture with the peat ; this, well amalgamated together, 

 and rubbed through a coarse sieve, answers well, although a little cow-dung, 

 thoroughly decomposed, is strongly recommended by a friend who has grown this 

 shrub in pots with decided success. With such soil for plants either in beds or 

 pots, there is no difficulty in growing or flowering Rhododendrons in the greatest 

 perfection. 



