THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 99 



be put singly in small pots, and then placed in a shady corner of the 

 pit or a close corner of the greenhouse. When started in the last- 

 mentioned structure, they should be placed underneath a hand-glass, 

 as they can then be Ijept close and shaded until they are established 

 without in any way interfering with the other plants in the house. 

 A nice light mixture of leaf-mould, friable loam, and silver sand will 

 be the most suitable at this stage. Put a few small pieces of crock 

 in the bottom, then a layer of the roughest part of the compost, 

 and half fill the pot with the mixture. Place the plant upon this, 

 and in the centre of the pot, and after sprinkling a little dry sand 

 over the roots, fill the pot, and press the soil rather firm, taking care, 

 of course, to avoid injuring the tender stems. A fortnight's careful 

 nursing is usually sufficient to enable them to become established, 

 and this consists in keeping them close, sprinkling them overhead 

 once or twice a day, as the weather may happen to be cool or hot, 

 and shading them from bright sunshine. Their commencing to 

 g^row freely is a good sign of their having become established ; and 

 to prevent their being drawn up in a weakly manner, let them enjoy 

 a free circulation of air and full exposure to the light, with a thin 

 shade during periods of brilliant sunshine. 



I have entered rather fully into the details of management at this 

 stage, because long experience has convinced me that unless they 

 make a vigorous start at the first, they do not usually make so free 

 a growth afterwards as could be desired. They must receive no 

 check at this stage, and immediately they are well established and 

 the roots run freely round the outside of the ball of soil, shift them 

 into five-inch pots. The compost must be rougher than that 

 advised for cuttings, and after trying many preparations, I am con- 

 vinced that a compost prepared with one part of yellow turfy loam, 

 one part of leaf-mould, one part of peat, taken from the surface of 

 heath-land, one part of horse droppings that have been dried under 

 cover sufficiently to admit of their being readily broken up, and 

 about one-third of a part of sharp silver sand, is unequalled. That 

 it is in every way suitable for fuchsias, there can be no doubt, and 

 I may say in confirmation of this, that the collection I exhibited at 

 the great International Exhibition in ] 866, and with which I was, 

 as will be remembered, placed at the head of the prize list, was 

 grown in a compost prepared as here advised ; as also were the col- 

 lections with which I for years was successful in taking the first 

 prizes at the principal metropolitan exhibitions. The pots must be 

 thoroughly clean, and well drained, and the soil be pressed rather 

 firm. After they are repotted, keep them close for a week or ten 

 days, and then increase the ventilation. "When these pots are filled 

 with roots, they may again be shifted, and the most suitable pots 

 will be those eight inches in diameter ; and after this no further re- 

 potting will be required the first season. 



Fuchsias require an abundance of moisture at the roots when 

 growing freely, and after they have had their last shift for the season, 

 and have filled the pots with roots, weak liquid manure used alter- 

 nately with clear water will afford them much assistance. One of 

 the best liquid manures I have used is prepared by steeping a 



April. 



