JOtTRNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ July 7, 1863. 



way for the plants to let them break the first season of their 

 own a,ccord, and let them be bloomed with loss artificial 

 heat. 



When the plants have done flowering they should by all 

 means be as carefully attended to as if they had yet to 

 bloom. It is too often the case that forced plants are sadly 

 neglected and mismanaged after having yielded their crops 

 of bloom for the season. They should be g-radually hardened- 

 oif and not placed out of doors till aU danger from frost is 

 past. If when lifted in the autumn they were potted into 

 six and eight-inch pots, the strongest of them shotdd be 

 shifted into pots two sizes, and the weakest into pots one size 

 larger. When shifted it is of great advantage to them to 

 be kept under glass for a week or two after. This is pre- 

 suming that they are shifted before all danger from late 

 frosts is over ; but, when shifted later in the season, they 

 may be plunged out-doors at once. Choose a sheltered 

 situation where thoy can at the same time have all the sun 

 possible ; give them plenty of room, and see that the material 

 in v/hich they are plunged is sufficiently 02)en, and the site 

 weU drained, so that no stagnant water can stand about 

 their roots, otherwise these would rot, and as a consequence 

 the foha-ge would become yellow and drop off, leaving you 

 with um-ipe and di.seased plants. Eoses, and in fact all 

 other plants intended to be forced, should never be, as is 

 too often the case, plunged in damp shady situations. 

 Throughout the summer endeavour to supply them with 

 water, sufficient to keep the soil at aU times in a healthy 

 growing condition ; and should worms find then' way into 

 the pots, water with clear lime water. 



If worked on briars keep them fi-ee from suckers, and 

 remove all flower-buds as they make their appearance, 

 except in cases where Eoses may be required in November ; 

 then Hybrid Perpetuals may be allowed to bring forward 

 the buds which they foi-m after the middle of August ; and 

 by placing them in a cold pit or frame, and later in the 

 season encouraging them with a little fire heat, they will 

 ejqjand and last in flower a long time. This i^ractice is not, 

 however, to bo recommended, e:ccept you intend to grow a 

 large stock of plants, as such treatment is not fa,voiirable to 

 theii- suocessftil foi-cing in spring ; and I should think in 

 your climate youi- Eoses out-doors can be had in flower late 

 in the season. 



When the plants have mostly shed their foliage, and pre- 

 sunung that yon intend to force a portion of yom- stock 

 caxly, the best-ripened plants should be pruned. Then turn 

 them carefully out of the pots, and examine the drainage, 

 and get rid of any worms which may have iiitruded. When 

 worke'd on the briar stock it freqirently hajipens that the 

 stock gets gi-een and mossy; whenever such is the case, 

 let them be dusted o-.'er with quicklime, which will destroy 

 the pai'asites. Remove the surface soil, and replace it with 

 fresh, rich soil, and when intended to be forced ea,rly they 

 should be placed under glass at once. A cold pit or "vinery 

 iiviU be_ a good place for them, if you desire a constant 

 succession of flowering plants till Eoses are in bloom in the 

 open ground. 



Continue ttooughout the winter to prune a convenient 

 number, always putting them under glass as soon as they 

 are pmned. It is always best not to piit them into heat tOl 

 after they have been under glass in a cool structm-e • for a 

 fortnight after they are pruned. Bear in mind a,U the time 

 that it is only recommended to leave them out of doors in 

 winter, in case of your not being able to afford them the 

 protection of a pit or frame. It not unft-equently happens 

 that those pruned in February, and left out of doors, have 

 their buds crippled with March frosts, for spare corners 

 under glass are very scarce now-a-days. 



It frequently happens that those forced the second season 

 after being lifted in eight and 10-ineh pots, requii-e nothing 

 further at the root the third season than simply to see to 

 the^di'ainage, and to remove a portion of the soil ft'om the 

 sm-iace of the ball, and replace it wii h rotten dung and loam 

 in equal i)roportions. This, of course, entirely depends on 

 circumstances. If the roots have made then- way down to 

 the bottom of the pots, leaving a large portion of the top 

 soil inert and unoccupied, they should be partially shaken 

 out, have the strong roots pruned back, and in repotting 

 a good portion of the soil be placed below the roots. My 

 pTactiee has been to shake them out and treat thus every 



second year, and to root-prune them in a similar manner to 

 that practised with the Geranium, only not so severely. 

 It is not only possible to keep them healthy and in mode- 

 rate-sized pots Ibr many years by this process, but they 

 seem to rejoice in the operation, starting off with inci'eased 

 vigour- with every application of fresh soil. 



In making a selection of Eoses for forcing you should 

 select the greater portion of j-our stock from the Hybrid 

 Perpetual section. Most of the Teas are beautiful for pot - 

 culture, but generally speaking do not bear early forcing so 

 well as the Hybrid Perpetuals. Then there ai-e Provence, 

 Cabbage, and Moss Eoses, so beautifully fragrant. — D. 

 Thomson. 



THE EOTAl; HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY'S 

 EXHIBITIOiS^-JuLY 1. 



The horticidtural ca,mpaign began early this year, and it 

 has closed at that period of the season when Londoners begin 

 to consrJt their "Bradshaws," and when "Mun-ay " is greatly 

 in request. The rival claims of the south coast and its soft 

 sea breeKcs and sunny sands, the jjicturesque scenery of the 

 Cumberland lakes, and the heathery mountains and deep 

 glens of the Highlands, are now becoming matters of anxious 

 deliberation ; those who have country seats to retfre to 

 ax-e beginning to think of a change of quarters, and in 

 another niontli London will have gone out of town. It was, 

 therefore, we think, wisely determined that, the last great 

 horticultural display for the season should take place before 

 this periodical migration commenced. 



The Eoyal Horticultural Society is not remarkable for its 

 good fortune as regards weather, and when it does have a 

 wet day for one of its exhibitions the fact is sure to be ex- 

 patiated upon, and not unfrequcntly with some embellish- 

 ments, and it is, therefore, only justice to say that no day 

 could have been finer than Wednesday last ; genial in tem- 

 perature, with a bright but not overpowering sun, whilst a 

 gentle breeze kept the afr fi'om stagnation, it was just the 

 day that one would have chosen for out-door exercise. 



As on former occasions the plants and cut flowers were 

 arranged along each side of the nave of the International 

 Exhibition building, the hot dry atmosphere of which, it may 

 be remarked, caused many of them to give evident signs of 

 flagging, whUst the Fiiiit was allocated in one of the refresh- 

 ment-rooms, involving a voyage of discoveiy to find it out. 

 Many must have failed in the attempt ; for, contrary to all 

 wont, the attendance of visitors to this paa-t of the Exliibition 

 was unusually thin, notwithstanding the high character of 

 the productions which invited their inspection. 



The absence of the grand specimen stove and greenhouse 

 plants, as grown by Messrs. Whitebread, Green, Peed, and 

 others, which constituted so important a feature in previous 

 exldbitions, was also much to be regi-etted. as it deprived the 

 Show of much of its effect ; and this want the Eoses, fine as 

 they were, and forming as they did a principal, and, indeed, 

 the most attractive portion of the Exhibition, did not fully 

 compensate for. 



FiNE-FOLiA&ED AND Vaeiegated Plants. — Many large 

 and handsome specimens of this description of plants were 

 exhibited, including Crotons, Alocasias, Caladiums, Latanias, 

 Dracaenas, Ar-aucarias, and a variety of others. Amongst 

 Nni-serymen Messrs. J. & C. Lee took the first pi-ize with a 

 collection in which were a noble Alocasia metallica, a large 

 and very fine CordyUne indivisa, Cyathea Sniithii with its 

 handsome lively green fronds, Cibotium princeps, Ehopala 

 magnifica. and Caladium Baraquini. Messrs. A. Henderson 

 and Co. had the second prize for Alocasia macrorhiza varie- 

 gata and metallica, the naaTow-leaved Croton angustifohum, 

 the elegant fern-Uke Jacaranda SlicifoUa, Dracaena ferrea 

 and cannix-folia, Dieffenbachia maculata, Maranta variogata, 

 Caladium Chantini, and other plants. Mr. BuU, of Chelsea, 

 was third, and he had some magnificent plants -, among which 

 may be noticed a tall and very handsome Ehopala corcova- 

 deiisis. Dractena austi-aUs, Gleichenia flabeUata very large, 

 Paudanus utiUs, Araucaria Bidwilli, AlsopMla excelsa, and 

 Latania borbonica. In a collection from Messrs. Jackson 

 and Sons, of Kingston, there were also several large speci- 

 mens, including a noble Alsophila australis, Coryjjha aus- 

 trahs, Draccenas terminidis and ferrea, and the variegated 

 Pandanns javanicus. 



