IRISH GARDENING 



59 



S t re p t () c a r pus. 



Its MU MM I. ( n\\\ w. 



Si"* iiuK'li iiitontion has witliiii recent )'ears been 

 ilirected to iai>ini; jjooil strains of Stre|ilccaipiis 

 that lliey are well worth provKJiiiij a plaee lor in 

 the yieenhoiise, being of simple eultine, onee past the 

 seetilinji" stage, and reipiiriny but ortlinary aecontnuHla- 

 lioM. A few re- 

 marks on llu'ii 

 manaiii-nu-nt ma\ 

 help I he iioviee 

 to snei'esslul re- 

 sults. 



The present is 

 a suitable lime 

 for sowinj^ seetl 

 lo liave plants to 

 Hower tlininj; the 

 late winter and 

 springe months. 

 The seed being- 

 very fine, great 

 eare is necessary 

 in sowing. I'"irst 

 prepare a shallow 

 pan orbox, putting 

 in good drainage, 

 afterwards filling 

 lo within a quarter 

 of an inch of the 

 rim with a mixture 

 of loam, leaf soil 

 .-mil s.uul (half 

 lo;ini to quai'ter 

 each of leaf soil 

 .■md fand). passed 

 through a ipiarter- 

 ineh sieve, making 

 the sm-faee level ; 

 then give the soil 

 a good watering 

 with a fine rose 

 can ; allow this to 

 drain, and the pan 

 will be re.uly for 

 sowing. 



A good plan to 

 distribute the seed 

 evenly over the 

 surface is to mix it 

 with a pinch of fine 



dry sand either in (he .seed packet oi on i small square 

 of paper, the sand mixed with the seed will be sufii- 

 cient covering. Place a square of glass over the pan or 

 box, which must be placed in ;i warm pit or on a hot- 

 bed having a temperature between Go and 70 degree,''. 

 .Shade from the sun's rays until the seedlings appear, 

 when they may be gradually exposed to the light ,-mu1 

 kept as near the roof glass as possible, still shadini; 

 during the brightest portion of the day. 



When the seedlings are fit to handle, which will be in 

 ahoul six weeks froTU sowiny, thev may be pricked olV 



.\ SruiPTOcARins Hybrid. 



into pans or boxi's about two inches apart, using a 

 similar mixture, only not quilc so fine. When the 

 leaves attain a size of three or four inches I hey may 

 be potted singly into four-inch pots, ailding more 

 leaf soil or finely bioken cow manure lo the mixture, 

 which, according lo the strength of the plants, 

 m;iy be used moie open or fibrous. The plants may 

 now be removed to a cold frame, syringed early 

 in the eveniiig and closed up with sunheat. 



Keep the flowers 

 picked ofi' until 

 the plants are 

 well eslablisheil 

 in their (lowering 

 quarters, which 

 will be five or six- 

 inch pots. In Sep- 

 tember they may 

 be removed from 

 the lold franu- lo 

 I he greeidiouse, 

 keeping plants as 

 near the glass as 

 possible, when 

 they may be en- 

 c o u r a g e d I o 

 flower by occa- 

 sional application 

 of weak liquid 

 manure. .After the 

 flowering perioil 

 is over the ph'tnis 

 should have a rest 

 of a month or six 

 weeks, keeping 

 them on the dry 

 side, after wliich 

 they may be lakm 

 in hand again, 

 shaken out anil 

 potted up, using 

 pots accortling lo 

 the strengih of 

 the pl.mts, keep- 

 ing indoor inilil 

 the weather per- 

 mits their removal 

 to a cold frame. 

 .\fter syringing, 

 the frame should 

 always be closed 

 with sunheat in 

 evening. W i t h 

 the above treatment the plants will respond lo the 

 attention given by brightening the greenhouse during 

 the dull months with many charming flowers in almost 

 endless variety of colour. 



The Streptocarpus is known as the Cape Primrose, 

 growing wild in .Africa and Madagascar. The plant 

 derives its botanical name from the capsule oi' fruit being 

 spirally twisted ; strepios, twisted, and karpos. a friili. 

 When ripe, the spiral of the fruit partly unwinds and 

 the seeds fall out. The seeds are arranged upon a ridge 

 of tissue on the inner wall of the capsule. 



