314 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAJIDENEK. 



[ Oetober IT, 1865. 



three hundred to five hundred blooms in a season ; and I 

 have the authority of an enthusiastic cultivator for a pan of 

 C. Atkinsi, 18 inches across, giving 987 blooms during the 

 first three months of the year 1856. Growing Cyclamens in 

 pans is the next best jjlan to growing them in frames ; but 

 in the latter they are not so handy for decorative purposes. 

 We may grow them in pots singly, in pans by the dozen, 

 and what is to hinder our having them in frames by the 

 square yard, so that handsful of flowers may be gathered every 

 morning all through the winter ? Nothing, if only there be 

 the convenience and requisite number of bulbs at command. 

 Some twenty years ago, when gardeners knew how to grow such 

 plants as these in addition to minding bedding stuff, and knew 

 how to keep up a succession of bloom in their gardens all the 

 year round, I remember seeing them grown in frames in the 

 same way as Neapolitan Violets. Since then I have grown them 

 planted out in frames, and I do not hesitate to state that they 

 never do so well as when grown in frames or low pits ; then 

 why not have them not only in pots and pans for decorative 

 purposes, but also in frames for gathering from for bouquets ? 



Suppose we have a two-light frame of red and white neapoli- 

 tanum, another of ibericum and vernum, another of coum and 

 Atkinsi, and one more of persicum, with a hot-v.-ater pipe along 

 the front just to keep out frost, and to enable us to gather them 

 earlier or later as desired, we may have red and white neapoli- 

 tanum in September and October, or even in Novemljer ; iberi- 

 omn and vernum will keep up a succession until .lanuary and 

 February, by which time coum and Atkinsi will come in, closely 

 followed by persicum, and thus we have Cyclamen blooms from 

 the 1st of October (and a month earlier if desired, by adding a 

 one or two-light frame of europfeum, which is sure to be a 

 favourite on account of its fragrance), up to the last week in 

 April. The mode of proceeding which I would recommend 

 would be to choose a sunny, sheltered, and naturally dry 

 situation, to lay without moitar just two courses of bricks, on 

 which the wooden-frame is to rest, and along the front put a 

 four-inch hot-water pipe within the frame, and then two courses 

 of bricks. Fill the bottom of the frame or pit level with the 

 top of these two courses with rubble, and then lay two more 

 courses of bricks on these to keep the compost from the pipes. 

 On the rubble place a few inches of the very rough compost, 

 and then sufficient compost to raise the bed 9 inches deep all 

 over, sloping it from the back to the front, and if the frame is 

 of a pro]jer depth the surface will be exactly 9 inches from the 

 glass. If there are no frames it would be better to do mthout 

 them, and build the walls of brick, making that in front 1 foot 

 high, and tlie back waU 2 feet in height, with wall plates on 

 them, and the usual woodwork of pits. Beneath the bed a foiu'- 

 inch hot-water pipe might be placed, with the rubble over it, 

 not that Cyclamens need bottom heat, but to be ready for 

 Melons, or other plants reqiiiring it. All that would be ne- 

 cessary in this case would be a two-inch return-pipe, with stop- 

 cocks to turn the water into the pipe beneath the bed or not 

 as required. 



Such pits may be planted with Cucumbers or Melons in 

 March, and these will have yielded a sufficient return by the 

 beginning of September ; at all events. No. 1 frame or pit 

 must be prepared and planted with Cyclamen europium by 

 the last week in July, planting them 6 inches apart every way, 

 and in quincunx order, %vith the crown just level with the sur- 

 face. After planting give a gentle watering, and in a day or 

 two mulch the surface with half an inch of cocoa refuse, or the 

 sifted compost. Water will not be much needed in August, 

 but it must be given when required. The lights should remain 

 off day and night, except when hea\'y rains occur, when they 

 must be drawn on, admitting air, however. 



No. 2 pit should be made ready and planted with Cyclamen 

 neapolitanum, red and white, by the third week in August; 

 No. 3, with C. vernum and ibericum, in the last week in that 

 month, or in the beginning of September ; No. 4, with C. coum 

 and Atkinsi, in the second week in September; and a week 

 later. No. 5, with C. persicum. All should be planted at the 

 same distance apart, except in the case of large bulbs, which 

 must be allowed more space, and the reverse as regards those 

 which are below the oriliuaiy size. If the soil is moderately 

 moist it will not be necessary to give more than a gentle w-ater- 

 ing to settle the earth about the plants, and if it is dry bring it 

 into a moist state by gentle rains or gentle waterings, drenching 

 showers and soaking waterings being injurious to Cyclamens. 

 Afterwards give gentle waterings in the absence of showers, 

 and a gentle sprinkling overhead on dewless nights, but little 

 of this wiU be needed after the middle of September. 



As to air, they cannot have too much, provided frost and 

 cold rains be excluded, and even then a little air wiU be of 

 service, for a little heat in the hot-water pipe will prevent 

 injury from frost, and allow of air being given during damp 

 weather; the flowers, too, may then be gathered at all times, 

 which is not the case when they are grown in cold frames. 

 The heat being the same in all the frames may be considered 

 an objection. Such, however, is not the case, for the tem- 

 perature may be kept down by giving more air to plants which 

 have done blooming, and the foliage will be matured all the 

 better if not frozen. It should be borne in mind that the hot- 

 water pipe is not intended to stew the plants, but merely to 

 obviate the necessity of covering up with mats, itc, in order to 

 keep out frost, to dry up damp, and to allow of the flowers being 

 gathered at all desirable times without hindrance. It should also 

 be remembered, that when any kind ceases growing it should 

 be kept drier than when vegetation is active, and should have 

 more air, though Cyclamens can scarcely have too much of this. 

 All of them, however, will not require to be rijiened oil at one 

 time ; C. europa^um will be the first to ripen, as it dies down 

 in winter ; C. neapoUtanum will follow in March ; C. vernimi 

 and ibericum in April ; C. coum and Atkinsi in May ; and 

 C. persicum in the beginning of June. If the pits be wanted 

 for Melons, the different kinds may be taken up when ripe, and 

 planted in an open situation, yet shaded from the midday sun, 

 and in this position they may remain until the time arrives for 

 replanting them in the pits. On the other hand, if the pits are 

 not required for other purposes, the plants may remain in 

 them, protected from heavy rains. 



Grown in the above way the Cyclamens would do much 

 better in the second year than in the first, and better still in 

 the third ; at least, that is my experience. It may then be 

 necessary to take them up, renew the soil, and replant. They 

 produce seed so freely in this way, that if allowed to sow 

 itself, the frame will soon be a complete mass of plants. The 

 largest number I ever had from a plant in a single year was 

 one hundred. This would be the best plan of raising plants in 

 quantity to bloom at three years old. — G. Abbey. 

 (To be continued.) 



CUTTING THE RUNNERS OFF STRAWBERRY 

 PLANTS INTENDED FOR FORCING. 



Am I right or am I wrong in cutting the runners off my 

 Strawberry plants, which I intend forcing ? I visited a friend 

 recently, and his gardener had not cut off one of the runners, 

 and did cot intend doing so until he put them into the forcing- 

 house. He also told me that my gardener had quite spoilt my 

 plants by cutting the runners off so closely, as it greatly injures 

 the plants. 



[This is one of those cases which show how careful a gar- 

 dener should be in giving his opinion, and more especially in 

 pronouncing on the practice of others. Many seemingly diver- 

 gent plans, if carefully carried out, will come to the same result 

 in the end, just as you may often go by various roads to one 

 place, and with no gi'eat difference as to time and labour. It 

 would be a very different affair if, instead of keeping right 

 on by one road, you made it a practice to go a bit upon one, 

 cross from that to another, and having proceeded a little way 

 to cross back again, and so proceed until you had patronised a 

 portion of eveiy way that led to the place. Something equally 

 unsatisfactory will be apt to take place in gardening if you 

 attempt to combine into one the different parts of discordant 

 systems. In the jjresent case we do not see why, if it be 

 desirable that Strawberry plants in pots should have all the 

 nmners encouraged until they are put in for forcing, they 

 should not also be allowed to remain on them. We can well 

 understand how the encouragement of a few runners at first 

 will add to the strength and luxuriance of a plant, though we 

 can also understand how by their increase these nmners will 

 act ultimately as exhausters rather than as feeders. But again, 

 though luxuriance and strength are desirable, these must not 

 be obtained at the expense of the maturity of the buds. It 

 is also of importance that the matured strength of the plants 

 should he concentrated in the crown of the plant. This can 

 only be done by giving the crowns all the light and air possible, 

 and for this purpose the plants should be set far enough apart, 

 so that the crowns may have eveij help to mature themselves, 

 and have fruitful juices stored up in them. We adopt your 

 gardener's practice, and cut off all the runners as they appear, 



