CINERARIA. 
saved from carefully-selected plants of a 
good strain ; this method also gives much 
less trouble than in the case of increase by 
suckers, and the plants are more vigorous. 
When required for early flowering—say 
to come in at the beginning of the year— 
the seed should be sown about the end of 
March in pans, drained and filled with soil 
composed of three parts good fibrous loam, 
sifted, to two of leaf-mould, with a good 
sprinkling of sand added. Press the soil 
moderately firm, and sow the seeds evenly 
and not too thickly, or the young plants 
get crowded and drawn up before they are 
' large enough to transplant. Just cover the 
seed with fine soil, and press it slightly ; 
stand in a temperature of 55°, where the 
sun will not reach the soil so as to make it 
necessary to give much water before the 
plants vegetate. As soon as they appear 
place the pans as near the glass as they can 
be got, shade slightly from the sun, and 
give a moderate amount of air, which in- 
crease as the seedlings gain strength. When 
the young plants are big enough to handle 
prick them out three inches apart in pans, 
or shallow boxes, filled with soil similar to 
that in which the seed was sown, and treat 
as before. Give shade when necessary, 
with air through the day and plenty of 
water to keep the soil moist. Before they 
get crowded move them singly into 4-inch 
pots ; use soil as before, but it should not be 
sifted, and should contain a little less sand. 
An ordinary garden frame will now be the 
best place for them ; stand it so as to face 
north, in which way the sun will not have 
so much power on the glass. Keep close 
for a few days until the roots get hold of 
the new soil, after which give air freely 
and shade from the sun in the middle of 
the day ; give plenty of water, and syringe 
overhead in the afternoons. Cinerarias 
are quick-growing and free-rooting plants, 
and must not be allowed to remain in the 
pots they now occupy until the roots be- 
come matted, or in anything approaching a 
pot-bound condition, or they cannot after- 
wards be got to move freely. Consequently 
when the soil is fairly filled with roots 
they must be moved to their blooming 
pots ; such as are 6 or 7 inches in diameter 
will be quite large enough, provided the 
plants are attended to with manure-water 
as they require it. Without a liberal 
supply of this they cannot be had in such 
a good condition. Some rotten dung may 
at this point be added to the soil, and the 
pots should be drained well. In a few 
days after potting the lights should be 
tilted back and front in the day so as to 
allow plenty of air, and be removed alto- 
gether in the night when the dews will 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
107 
benefit them ; keep the material on which 
the pots are stood during the summer 
always damp, syringe the plants overhead 
in the afternoons, and as soon as the roots 
have got fairly hold of the soil give manure- 
water at each alternate watering. 
In the cultivation of Cinerarias it is all 
through the several stages of their growth 
necessary to stand them sufficiently far 
apart to prevent their being at all drawn, 
for should this occur, the large bottom 
leaves which add so much to their appear- 
ance and are equally essential to a strong 
vigorous condition are sure to die off before 
the time of flowering. Directly there is 
any danger of frost they must be moved to 
where it cannot reach them, but they 
should if possible not be stood on dry 
shelves or stages as they dislike a dry 
atmosphere, and this also is injurious to 
the leaves. Standing the pots through the 
winter as hitherto advised on ashes or 
other material that will hold moisture, 
will do much towards keeping them free 
from insects and preserving the lower 
leaves. Ina temperature of 40° to 45° in 
the night, the earliest will come into 
flower by Christmas; those that show a 
disposition to be later will do with a tempe- 
rature of from 35° to 40°. For spring 
blooming a second lot of plants should be 
raised ; the seed should be sown about the 
end of May, and the treatment in other 
ways be as recommended for the earliest. 
If it is intended to save seed the plants 
that bloom in spring should be closely 
looked to as flowers begin to open ; select 
the best forms and most distinct colours, 
and as soon as any of decided merit appear 
at once remove them to small frames, each 
colour separate, and all at some distance 
away from the general collection. By this 
means and this alone can the strain, even if 
good to begin with, be kept up to the 
required standard. Should any varieties 
appear of extraordinary merit they may be 
propagated by division of the suckers 
which the plants produce after flowering ; 
put them singly in small pots and keep 
close until established, after which treat as 
advised for the stock raised from seed. 
InsEcts.—Cinerarias are very subject to 
greenfly, which establishes itself on the 
undersides of the lower leaves and increases 
apace. The stock should be often examined, 
and immediately the aphides are found on 
a plant it should be dipped in tobacco 
water, which will be found a much better 
as well as more expeditious way of dealing 
with the pests than allowing the whole to 
get affected before taking means for their 
destruction. Fumigation with tobacco will 
kill them, but the leaves are often injured 
