78 



THE GERANIUM AND ITS CULTURE. 



ground. However, the most complete way 

 is to have a hole in the door, through 

 which the nozzle of the fumigating bellows 

 may be put, and they can be worked from 

 the outside without the slightest inconve- 

 nience. Care should be taken not to over- 

 do it. It may be easily seen when the 

 house is properly filled with smoke. The 

 next morning they should be syringed with 

 a fine rose. Some fumigate once a month ; 

 others very closely examine for the green 

 fly, so that one could hardly escape them, 

 and only fumigate when they discover 

 them ; it is, however, indispensable that 

 they get well smoked when the buds show, 

 and before they bloom, however much or 

 little they may have been attended to in 

 this particular before. 



WATERING. 



All plants should be watered with liquid 

 of the same temperature as the house they 

 are in. Those who are economical collect 

 all the rain water from the roofs of their 

 houses, and convey it into tanks within the 

 building, for rain water is far better than 

 all other, and river water is next ; but thou- 

 sands of plants are destroyed in health by 

 the application of spring water from wells. 

 When you are obliged to use spring water, 

 it ought to be exposed to the sun for days 

 in shallow vessels ; but it is far better to 

 avoid it, if possible, and to economize the 

 rain water as the best possible way of pro- 

 viding a proper moisture for plants of all 

 sorts. The geraniums do not like too much 

 wet ; they had better temporarily flag than 

 have moisture when they do not want it, 

 for an excess causes the leaves to turn 

 colour and to fall, and even the best of the 

 leaves lo be spotted with a sort of mildew, 

 much after the manner of carnations when 

 they get the damp; examine them well, 

 therefore, before you water, and convince 

 yourself they require it before you give it 

 them. 



CUTTING IN AND STRIKING CUTTINGS. 



Geraniums in healthy growth, and par- 

 ticularly when they are being grown for 

 exhibitions, can always spare cuttings ; for 

 what Avith stopping the branches and thin- 

 ning out the lateral shoots when too crowd- 

 ed, there is never any want of cuttings if 

 we wish to propagate ; but there is a period 

 for cutting in all plants without necessarily 



forming monsters, as we have already de- 

 scribed. When they have done blooming, 

 and, if necessary, done seeding, let the 

 plants have no more water for some days, 

 and when the soil is pretty dry, cut them 

 in closer than we directed for the monster 

 plants; in fact, they should be cut in so 

 close as to allow of only sufficient eyes 

 to form a new moderate sized plant next 

 year. They should then be kept dry a few 

 days, to heal their wounds, and afterwards 

 trimmed at the roots ; all the matted fibres 

 removed, and even the strong roots cut back 

 a little, and the plants, so trimmed, repot- 

 ted in much smaller pots. These may be 

 shut up close in a frame a few days, but 

 bottom heat, if it can be had, hastens the 

 making of new roots, when they may be 

 preserved through the winter as we have 

 already described. The cuttings from these 

 plants may be struck almost like weeds ; 

 the shortest joint will make a plant, and it 

 is only necessary to cut the stem at bottom, 

 close to the base of a leaf, and place it in 

 the soil with one joint above ; nay, the ge- 

 ranium strikes so freely, that if it answered 

 any good purpose they will grow from eyes 

 like the grape vine. Pots full of these cut- 

 tings may be covered with bell glasses ; or 

 the space that a hand-glass would cover 

 may be stuck full of them on the common 

 border: they may be rapidly struck in a 

 gentle common hot-bed, [or out of doors in 

 a shaded border;] but it would be more 

 difficult to prevent their striking than to 

 strike them, place them in soil where you 

 can or where you will. In the ordinary 

 way they will strike under a month ; but, 

 assisted with bottom heat and close cover- 

 ing, they will rojt in ten or twelve days. 

 They are then potted in sixty-sized pots, 

 and watered and attended till they are 

 ready to send out, or kept till they have 

 thoroughly rooted round the pots. 



RAISING FROM SEED. 



The proper choice of seeding plants must 

 be made according to what you v.-ant ; half 

 a dozen of the best varieties may be plant- 

 ed out in the open air in May, when the 

 weather is settled, and where no others are 

 near; or they may be inoculated with any 

 sorts you wish to work from for iiriprove- 

 ments. For instance, you take well shaped 

 thick petalled flowers to seed from; take 



