170 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
for a very few words will suffice to convey a good idea of their 
cultural requirements. I will commence by observing that to 
ensure their flowering early the cuttings must be struck early in 
June, and when nicely rooted be potted off separately. They should 
be put into three-inch pots, and as soon as the roots run freely 
round the outside of the ball, shift them into others one size larger, 
as five-inch pots are quite large enough to enable them to produce 
large heads of bloom. Throughout the summer they should be 
kept in a well-ventilated frame, and be supplied with water accord- 
ing to their requirements. On the approach of autumn—say the 
end of August—they must be placed in a light position in the 
greenhouse, and remain tkere throughout the winter. The only 
stopping and training necessary is to pinch out the growing point 
as soon as they are established in the pots in which they are to 
bloom, and to neatly tie out the side branches when sufliciently 
advanced in the spring. 
For very early flowering plants two years old are preferable, as 
they naturally come into bloom earlier than those struck the previous 
season. Amateurs, by purchasing now small plants in three-inch 
pots, may have a beautiful display next spring without very much 
trouble or expense. The best course, when they come to hand, will 
be to place them in a sunny position out-of-doors, and when the 
young wood assumes a brownish colour, prune them back to where 
the wood is quite firm. In due course they will produce a new 
growth, and as soon as the young shoots are about an inch in length 
turn the plants out of the pots, reduce the ball of soil moderately, 
and return them to pots of the same size. When they are nicely 
rooted shift them into six-inch pots, and in other respects manage 
them as advised for the younger plants. It only remains to be said 
that a compost prepared as advised in Mr. Oubridge’s communica- 
tion should be employed, and that to have the plants in bloom early 
in the season, they must be placed about the middle of February in 
a light airy structure, where they can have the advantage of a 
temperature of about 50°, increasing as the season advances to 60°. 
Six of the very best show pelargoniums for early flowering are, 
Duchess of Edinburgh, Crimson King, Captain Itaikes, Kingston 
Beauty, Queen Victoria, and Triomphe de St. Mandé. Two of the 
fancy varieties, namely, Fanny Gair, and Duchess of Teck, are also 
invaluable for early decorations, as well as for specimen culture. 
AMATEUR. 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON SEED-SAVING. 
SVAEED-SAVING is generally conducted in a very hap- 
sj; hazard manner in private gardens. It is a difficult 
task to grow a good crop from bad seeds; hence the 
rapid degeneracy of many varieties of garden plants 
~ When grown for a succession of seasons from home- 
saved seeds. It should not need an array of facts to satisfy our 
readers that mere shades cf difference in the inherent qualities of 
