September 8, 1874. ] 



JOtJBNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



215. 



most cases this has been begun. I allnde to such plants as 

 Cinerarias, Primulas, and Mipnonette, the seed of which should 

 have been sown in June and July, and the plants well a-head. 

 The lirst-named will thrive when potted in two-thirds light 

 fibrous loam and one-third leaf mould and silver sand, and if 

 it is to be obtained, a double-handful of finely-sifted cow ma- 

 nure well rotted may be supplied in addition, but this must 

 not be used with the soil for plants in a very young state, but 

 only for those which are strong and healthy. For the present 

 these plants may stand out of doors in a shady corner and be 

 carefully watered — that is, no plant must be watered without 

 first pro\ing that it is in want of moisture, either by tapping 

 the pot with the finger or by weighing it in the hand. In 

 potting a few dozens of plants it will be observed that some are 

 already wet enough and others not suiiiciently so ; now these 

 ought to be watered before potting, because the operation, per- 

 formed as skilfally as it may be, is a check upon the plant for a 

 time, and if it is watered before potting, water should not be 

 applied immediately afterwards, but the test-rule as above de- 

 scribed should be adopted. This applies to nearly all softwooded 

 plants, and therefore in the present paper need not be again 

 mentioned. 



The Cineraria has its enemies ; the chief of these is green 

 fly, which may be destroyed by removing the plants affected to 

 a frame and fumigating with tobacco smoke. The Primula 

 does well in a very similar soil to that needful for the Cineraria, 

 except that there should be the addition of one-fourth peat. 

 These plants will require the protection of a cool frame for 

 their growth, and should not be shaded if strong and healthy, 

 but if weak only slightly so. As to Mignonette, it is generally 

 Bown in pots where it is to flower, and when up the plants are 

 thinned-out to from five to ten in a pot, and afterwards top- 

 dressed with decayed manure, and the pots plunged in ashes 

 or tan out of doors where no violent winds can reach them. 

 No other protection need be given just now. As the plants 

 grow it will be seen that their inclination is to ramble over the 

 sides of the pot, which entirely spoils them for in-door or window 

 decoration. This may be prevented by placing four small sticks 

 round the inside of the pot, and connecting them by a piece of 

 matting, which keeps the plants in their places. All side shoots 

 should be pinched off, allowing only one — the largest shoot, to 

 remain, which will in turn form a grand spike of bloom. If it 

 should be necessary to remove them to a frame, they must be 

 placed near the glass and have a free circulation of air at all 

 times. 



The next most useful plant is the hrrbaceovs Calceolaria, and 

 although it is a spring-flowering plant, yet it is indispensable 

 for the conservatory, and at present I will only refer to it, as it 

 is time the seed were sown, and the mode of doing this I will 

 refer to in detail. First select a shady corner, and place a hand- 

 light there on a few inches of coal ashes, also place inside 3 or 

 4 inches thick of ashes mixed with lime in order to kill any 

 small slugs. Now procure a pot or a pan of small size, drain it 

 well, at least one-third full ; cover this with moss, or, what is 

 better, rough pieces of turf, and fill to within an inch of the 

 rim with finely- sifted sandy soil, composed of loam and leaf 

 mould well rotted ; press this down firmly and evenly, water 

 the whole so as to soak through the soil, then sow the seeds 

 evenly over the surface ; as they are so very small this must 

 be done with great care. Over them give a very slight sprink- 

 ling of silver sand, and again press the soil with some smooth 

 surface, which fastens them in the soil, and place a pane of glass 

 over the pot. Now take a pan which holds water and inll it 

 half full, place it in the hand-light, turn a small pot bottom 

 upwards on it, stand the seed-pan upon this, and put on the top 

 of the hght, keeping it close till the seedlings are up. They 

 should not require water in this position until germination has 

 taken place. When the little plants appear place a stone under 

 the glass over the pot to give them air, and the same with the 

 top of the light ; as they get larger remove the glass on the pot 

 altogether, and admit more air into the hand-light. Prick the 

 plants off into pans or pots when large enough to handle com- 

 fortably, using the same sort of soil as for the seeds. Having 

 now started the cultivator on the method of growing these lovely 

 flowers, I will leave the subject, with the intention of again 

 referring to it in subsequent papers. 



The double as well as the Nosegay section of Pelargoniums 

 are excellent autumn-blooming plants in the greenhouse. They 

 ought to be potted-on from Jane in a good substantial loam and 

 manure with a little sand added, and may be grown out of doors 

 up to the middle or end of September. The ordinary treat- 

 ment will prove successful. They must have all attention to 

 watering and potting when they require it, receiving their last 

 shift at the beginning of this month. All bloom buds to be 

 kept picked off, and the plant framed-out by staking, and the 

 shoots stopped when they need it to make them dwarf. The 

 double sorts will not need stopping more than once, or if ex- 

 cessively vigorous not more than twice during the summer ; but 

 the others, which are faster-growing sorts, may need it once or 

 twice more, the last stopping not later than the middle of 



August. When the weather becomes cold they may be placed 

 in a frame for a fortnight, and then removed to the greenhouse 

 or conservatory, where they may be allowed to flower, and if the 

 house is free from damp and moderately warm they will last in 

 bloom a long time. 



The Fuchsia, too, is an excellent autumn and early winter- 

 blooming plant when grown in young and small plants. Strike 

 them in April, and pot them on as for Pelargoniums, but they 

 must be grown in the greenhouse or a frame ; the latter struc- 

 ture is the better for the summer growth. The pyramid form 

 is the best to show off these plants to advantage ; therefore, as 

 soon as they begin to grow after the first potting they must be 

 staked, and as they advance in growth the shoots must be 

 regularly stopped at every two or three joints by taking-out the 

 point of the shoot; the centre one as well, but not so severely 

 as to prevent the plant forming a leader. The plants thrive 

 in a soil of two parts loam, one part well-rotted manure, and 

 one of leaf mould. Give them their final shift in August, and' 

 transfer them to the greenhouse. During their season of growth 

 they ought to be frequently sprinkled or syringed overhead 

 with water; this, with an intermediate temperature in almost 

 any structure, will grow them well. All bloom buds must be 

 picked off as soon as they are discovered, but they must not be 

 stopped after the first week iu September. During their growth 

 turn the plants round at different times to prevent them be- 

 coming one-sided. They will bloom well until November. After 

 this is over stand the plants away where they have the light,, 

 but protected from frost for a time, and in the winter they may 

 be put into a shed, but where it is dry and airy. If they are taken 

 care of, the plants will lay the foundation for some good specimens 

 for summer flowering the next year. The above is a system only 

 for autumn and winter blooming, as I have concluded that the 

 greenhouse would not be at liberty to grow these plants till after 

 the bulk of the bedding subjects are out of the way and spring- 

 flowering plants done with. 



The next plant to notice is the Chrysanthemutn, which is 

 purely autumn and winter-blooming ; some of the Japanese 

 varieties continuing to flower up to Christmas. The cuttings 

 should be put in not later than March, and for a time grown-on 

 as described for the Fuchsia— that is, in a cool frame until June 

 comes in, when they may be hardened-off gradually, so as to be 

 able to complete the rest of their growth outdoors. The same 

 mixture of soil as for Fuchsias will suit the Chrysanthemum. 

 For ordinary decoration they must be shifted frequently before 

 they become pot- bound ; this should not be allowed at any stage 

 of their growth, as it hardens the wood and causes the leaves to 

 fall off the bottom of the plant, which then looks badly. Scop 

 the shoots at every two or three joints ; determine the size of 

 pot you intend to flower them in, and after a dwarf well-formed 

 plant is secured put them into their pots, fill-up with soil, 

 and peg the shoots down ; and as they grow stop them again 

 until about the middle of July, which must be the last time. 

 As the shoots become long commence staking and tying, 

 but always allow the shoots full liberty to grow. Plunge 

 the pots after the last shift into old leaves, tan, or any other 

 rubbish that will keep the pots moist and the sun from scorch- 

 ing the roots, which it will do if allowed to play upon the pots 

 uninterruptedly. When established in the flowering-pots liquid 

 manure must be given them twice a-week, about a pint to a 

 gallon of water, and in the evenings of hot days sprinkle the 

 foliage with water. This will greatly assist to keep a healthy 

 foliage on the plants down to the edge of the pot. After they 

 have set their flower buds they should be taken under cover 

 and treated iu an exactly similar manner, affording plenty of 

 light and air, and thinning-out the' smallest buds if too nume- 

 rous ; if every attention be paid to them I feel sure the plants 

 will reward the grower with an abundance of finely-shaped 

 flowers. I ought to mention that the Pompon varieties will not 

 need so much stopping as the large-flowered sorts, being natur- 

 ally of weaker growth and dwarfer in habit. As the system 

 above described will grow the plants into large specimens, I 

 would advise that only a few plants of each sort should be 

 kept, and if these be managed well there will be much more 

 pleasure derived from them than if many were grown and none 

 of them well. In places with limited space the above rule ■will 

 apply to everything grown for their decoration. — Thomas 

 Record. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PBESENT WEEKS. 



HARDY FRUIT G-UIDEN. 



Strawberries and Raspberries have required attention. Before 

 planting-out the Strawberry plants, which had been layered in 

 small pots, the leaves were washed iu ■water in which soft soap 

 and tobacco were dissolved ; about 2 ozs. of soap and the same 

 quantity of good tobacco will be sufficient for a gallon of water. 

 If no red spider is to be found on the leaves, it is as well to dip 

 them in this mixture as a precaution. On light soil especially 

 this minute paraeite is the desperate enemy of the Strawberry, 

 and in all cases when dealing with the insect precautionary 

 measures are infinitely better than any attempt to destroy the 



