May 8, 186S. ] 



JOCENAIi OF HORTICUIiTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



337 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



MAY a-14, 1866. 



Eutnxia pangeng. 

 EucUilus obcordatuR. 

 Ascension. Holy TirCRSDAV. 

 Gardoquia miiltiflora. 

 Gastrolobium speeiosam. 

 Sunday after Ascen-^ion. 

 Gastrolobium ubovatujn. 



Average Temperatore 

 near London. 



Day. 



61.4 

 61.7 

 62.0 

 62.2 

 63.0 

 63.9 

 63.7 



NiKtat. 

 39.2 

 39.7 

 40.0 

 40.8 

 41.2 

 38.9 

 41.0 



Uean. 

 BIl.S 

 50.7 

 51.0 

 61.5 

 C2.1 

 51.4 

 52.3 



Rain in 



last 

 39 years. 



Days. 



Hi 

 16 

 17 

 17 

 18 

 18 

 15 



Sna 

 Rises. 



Snn 



Sets. 



Moon. 



Rises 



Moon 

 Sets. 



22af4 31af7 



h. \ m. b.. m. h. 



47 11 

 after. 



14 i 



81 8 



52 4 



12 e 



31 1 



Moon's 



Age. 



Days. 



23 

 24 

 25 

 26 

 27 

 28 



Cloek 

 after 

 iSun. 



3 42 



3 45 



8 in 



3 50 



S 62 



S 53 



3 53 



Day 

 of 



Year. 



128 

 129 

 130 

 181 

 132 

 138 

 ISl 



From observations taken near London during the last thirty-nine years, the averasjo day temperature of the week is 62.5° ; and its nioht 

 temperatnre 40.1". The prreatest heat was Sr, on the 12th, 1*33 ; and the lowest cold 21% on the 8th, 1855. The greatest tkil of rain waa 

 1.14 inch. N.B. — The Calendar contains the names of plants flowering in the greenhouse. 



CINERARIA CULTURE. 



WARF and compact in 

 growth, profuse in foliage 

 and bloom, and withal of 

 easj' culture, Cinerarias are 

 general favoiu'ites. They are 

 raised from seed, and the 



named sorts and desirable seedlinjjs propagated by ofl'sets. 

 From Seed. — Good seed, and saved from tlie line.st 

 flowers only, should be sown. Cheap seed is not wortli 

 sowing, let alone the trouble of rearing and gron-ing the 

 plants from it. For plants for autumn bloom the seed 

 should be sown in the beginning of March in pans drained 

 to one-tlurd their depth \\-itli broken pots, some large pieces 

 being placed over the holes, some smaller ones above tliem, 

 and then half an inch or so of the siftings of tlie compost, 

 wliicli may consist of turfy loam two-thirds, and leaf mould 

 one-tliird, adding one-sixth of sUvcr sand. With this com- 

 post fill the pan to the rim : then take a flosver-pot, and 

 pat the surface of the pan gently \vitli the bottom of the 

 pot. Tlus will lower the soil half an inch or so, and make 

 tlie surface quite smooth. Now scatter the seeds tliinly 

 (half an inch apart) over the soil, just cover them with 

 finely-sifted soil, give a gentle watering, and place the 

 pans in a fi'ame wlicre there is a bottom heat of 70° and a 

 Vjp heat of from 55° to (ii)''. Keep the soil just moist, and 

 immediately the pliuits appear place them within a foot of 

 the glass, for they must not be allowed to become drawn. 

 A gentle sprinkling of water from a thie-rosed watering- 

 pot or syringe in the morning will generally keep the soil 

 sufficiently moist ; but whether that is the case or not the 

 soil is never to be allowed to become thoroughly dry. 



After the plants are up, and the rough leaves appear, 

 give ail' whenever the weather is mild, and harden off 

 gradually, so that they ^^•ill bear potting wlien sufficiently 

 large to handle. Pot them singly in three-inch pots, using 

 the same compost as in sowing the seed ; place them in a 

 frame with a gentle heat, and keep close and shaded for a 

 few do.ys, sprinl-ding them overhead in the morning. Keep 

 them thvis until they begin to grow, then gradually harden 

 them off, aad place them in a cold frame ivith the pots set 

 on coal ashes, or, whilst the plants are small, let the pots 

 stand on those to be used at the next shift, so as to bring the 

 plants nearer the glass. Give abundance of air, and draw 

 down the lights whenever the weather is mild and showery, 

 but keep them on diu'ing dry hot weather, and when hea^'y 

 lains occur : then tilt the sashes, for abundance of air and 

 light are tlie essentials to success. Never allow the plants 

 to suffer from want of water, hut keep the soil moist, yet 

 let moistm-e be needed before it is given. Preserve a moist 

 atmosphere by sprialding water overhead morning and 

 erening, and especially in the evenings of hot days. 



No. 867.— Vol. X., Nkw Sbbceb. 



Under the above treatment the plants will grow well, 

 and must liave a shift when the pots are full of roots, and 

 before the latter become matted so as to resemble muslin. 

 Shift the plants into l;J-inch pots, then into 0-inch pots, 

 and when these become full of roots select the best plants, 

 and place them in w-inch pots. In all cases the drainage 

 must be good, and consist of one large crock over the hole, 

 two or three of good size above that, and then from half 

 an inch to an inch of smaller ones, and over these again an 

 inch or so of the rougher parts of the compost. The smaller 

 plants may remain in (i-incli pots, and though not so large 

 they will be none the less useful on that account. The 

 compost to be preferred is that from turves cut 2 inches 

 thick, and laid up in alternate layers with fresh cowdunp 

 from the fields, an inch of this between every layer of 

 sods. Tliis compost laid up for six months, then turned 

 over, and again turned at the end of three months, will in. 

 thi'ee months more be fit to be chopped up witli a spade, 

 and placed under cover. When it is neither wet nor dry 

 add to it one-fourth of leaf moiUd tluree-parts reduced, and 

 one-sixth of silver sand : and this compost, well mixed 

 together and incorporated, •nill grow Cinerarias to perfection. 

 Chop up tile compost with a spade, and break it as fine as 

 you like with the hand, but no sifting is to be allowed. 

 Pot firmly, but not very tightl.y. If the. plants are to be 

 well watered the soil should not be soddened witli moisture, 

 and if tliey are not to become pot-bound tliey must not be 

 repotted until tlie pots they are in become filled \rith roots, 

 nor should too large a sliift be given. 



After .Tune use the lights onh' during windy and very 

 wet or dry weather, and wlieii kept on tilt tliem. at the 

 same time elevating thi; frame on bricks laid flat at each 

 corner. Thus the air will play all round the plants, and 

 air, coolness, and moisture are their delight. 



After the last potting, when the roots reach the sides of 

 the pots, water once a-week •n-ith liquid manure, and when. 

 the plants show for bloom give a weak appUcation twice 

 a-week. Keep them in frames as long as possible, and 

 then remove them to a light airy situation in a house 

 having a temperature of 50°, and they will be fine when 

 bloom is becoming scarce. 



For the general spring bloom seeds should be sown from 

 the middle of May to the end of .June, the plants blooming 

 early or late according to the tunc of son-ing. If sown in 

 May the pan slioidd be placed in a gentle hotbed until 

 the plants appear, and when hardened oil these should be 

 removed to a cold frame : but if not sown until an ad- 

 vanced period in .Tune it will suffice if the pan be placed in 

 a frame kept close. The above directions as to potting oft" 

 and repotting the plants are equally applicable to these 

 sowings ; and though they are later, the}' will produce the 

 finest plants. By October these will have spIentUd foliage, 

 and if sown in May will be in theii- last pot but one — viz., a 

 six-inch pot. So long as the weather continues mUd they 

 could not liave a better situation than a cold frame ; but 

 mats or other material for covering must be in readiness 

 to protect them on frosty niglits. Wien tlicy can no 

 longer be kept in frames on account of the frost and damp, 

 remove them to a cool house witli a temperature of from 40' 



No. 919.— Vol. XXXV., Qu> Sbbhs. 



