MIGNIONETTE. 
288 
MIGNIONETTE. 
every day, till the following March. | to flower, having been first put into 
The seeds of the plants which are | other pots, somewhat larger than 
to come into flower in March to | themselves, and the interstices be- 
succeed them, should be sown in _ tween the two being stuffed with 
pots at the latter end of August, | moss, which may also be laid on 
and the pots may be placed in a| the surface of the earth in the inner 
spare bedroom, or in any open shed, 
or other situation under cover, 
where they will have plenty of light, 
and can have air occasionally. 
Early in November they should be 
thinned out, or transplanted, so as 
to leave only six or eight plants in 
a pot, and these pots should be 
plunged into a shallow box or pack- 
ing-case, half filled with coal-ashes, 
and placed in a cellar, or back 
kitchen, or, in short, any place 
where they will not have much 
heat, and yet be protected from 
frost. While in this situation, they 
should be regularly watered once or 
twice a week; and as no light is 
better than only a little, they may 
be covered with a piece of old car- 
peting, or an old ironing-blanket ; 
supported by a few sticks stuck in 
the earth, so as to prevent it from 
crushing the plants by its weight. 
In this situation, though they will | 
become quite blanched, they will 
grow freely, and be well-shaped 
plants; while, on the contrary, if 
they had not been covered, as they 
could not be put in a window on 
account of the danger from frost, 
they would have become etiolated, 
or drawn up, with weak, ill-shaped 
stems, in the efforts they would 
have made to reach the light. Be- 
sides, the blanket will save them 
from being injured by frost. About 
a fortnight before they are wanted 
to flower, the blanket may be taken 
off. and the box removed to the 
window of the kitchen, or some 
place where there is a constant fire; 
when the plants will soon become 
quite green, and will form their 
flower-buds. The pots may then 
be taken out of their box, and re- 
pot; or if moss cannot easily be 
obtained, double pots will suffice, 
the outer one being only just large 
enough to admit the inner one. 
third crop may be sown in Febru- 
ary, in pots, which may be kept 
under shelter till all danger is over 
from frost, and which may be then 
set out on window-sills, or in any 
other situation in the open air, and 
which will flower in May, June, 
and July, continuing in flower till 
they are succeeded by a fourth crop 
sown in April, in the open ground, 
or in pots in the open air, which 
will come into flower in July, and 
continue till November. 
When it is wished to obtain a 
plant of Tree Mignionette, a healthy 
vigorous plant of Mignionette sown ~ 
in April should be placed, at the 
proper time for transplanting, in a 
pot by itself, and the blossom buds 
should be taken off as fast as they 
appear. In antumn, all the lower 
side shoots should be cut off, so as 
to shape the plant into a miniature 
tree, and it should be transplanted 
into a larger pot, with fresh soil, 
formed of turfy loam broken small, 
but not sifted, and sand. It should 
then be removed to a greenhouse, 
or warm room, and by being regu- 
larly watered every day, and kept 
tolerably warm, it will remain in a 
growing state all the winter, and by 
spring its stem will begin to appear 
woody. It should be treated in the 
same manner the following year, 
all the side branches being cut off — 
as they appear, except those that 
are to form the head of the tree; 
and by the third spring it will have 
bark on its trunk, and be completely 
a shrub. It may now be suffered 
moved to the room where they are| to flower, and its blossoms, which 
Pet 
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