TO THE FLOWER GARDEN. 55 



largest. The seeds may be sown in March in a pot, and 

 placed in the hotbed frame, where they are not long coming 

 up : when four leaves are grown they may be putted ^iingly 

 into small sixty-sized pots, and, after having a little water to 

 settle the roots, are to be replaced in the hotbed, moderately 

 watered, and kept near the glass. By keeping them dry the 

 plants get stunted, and the tiower-heads soon show themselves. 

 When these are first been on the miserable-looking, half- 

 starved plants, one would not fancy they could be brought to 

 a showy state ; but, to eifect this, rich loam and dung are 

 employed in equal quantities, and these diminutive plants are 

 potted singly in pots of the thirty-two size, plenty of water is 

 given, and the tops of the plants are brought up as close to the 

 glass as possible. The heat of the bed is to be kept up to 

 about 70° or 80'' by day. The plants must not be allowed 

 to touch the glass on any account. They will grow rapidly 

 until they are too large for the pots, which must be then 

 changed for larger sizes. If the plants were grown fast from 

 the first, they would probably be eighteen inches or two feet 

 high before the tiower-heads appeared ; but, by starving tliem 

 till they show the flower, they do not afterwards grow much 

 in height, but th"> flower-heads or combs will be enlarging 

 from day to day, and will come very perfect specimens 

 with caie and attention. The other kinds are of less import- 

 ance. 



CELSIA. [Scrophulariaceie.] Half-hardy showy biennials, 

 of spiry habit. They may be sown in June in the open borders, 

 and thinned out for flowering, or raised in nursery-beds and 

 transplanted. They are hardy in light dry soils and favourable 

 situations, but in cold, unfavourable places should be shel- 

 tered in a frame during winter. C. orientalis is a hardy 

 annual. 



CENTAUREA. Centauhy. [Compositse.] A large 

 family, mostly hardy perennials, but including several hardy 

 annuals. Some of them are showy plants for a mixed flower- 

 border, but generally they do not rank high in modern gar- 

 dens. The exceptions to this are principally among the 

 annuals. These may either be sown in the open border 

 about the end of March, and the plants thinned out subse- 

 quently to three or four in a patch, to be left for blooming, 



