100 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



bushel of horse droppings in a large tub of water, and allowing it to 

 stand until quite clear. Liquid manure and clear water must be of 

 the same temperature as the house, for when the water is colder, 

 the plants receive a check from which, if it is severe, they are some 

 time in recovering. Light sprinklings overhead are frequently 

 advised by writers on fuchsia-growing, but they do more harm than 

 good, and I would recommend my readers ta syringe the plants 

 heavily, when syringing is necessary, or to well drench them with a 

 watering-can. to which a rather fine rose has been affixed. In warm, 

 dry weather, a drenching of this kind towards the evening will clear 

 the foliage of dust, and be otherwise most beneficial to them. A 

 moist atmosphere is also conducive to a healthy growth, and this 

 can be secured by pouring water ou the floor of the house two or 

 three times a day. 



The temperature most suitable for fuchsias now requires con- 

 sideration, and I will at once say that a top-heat of sixty-five degrees 

 by day and fifty-five by night will suffice to maintain a most vigorous 

 growth. When first potted ofl', the temperature may be five degrees 

 higher, and if the pots are at that stage plunged in a hot-bed, the 

 bottom-heat should be about seventy-five degrees. Fuchsias require 

 more warmth and atmospheric moisture than most greenhouse plants, 

 and, if possible, they should be grown in a little house or pit by 

 themselves until they are coming into bloom. It will also be well 

 to caution my readers against exposing the plants to cold draughts 

 when growing freely. 



The stopping and training are by no means difficult, for fuchsias 

 require to be grown in a natural manner to produce a good effect. 

 They must not be pinched severely, or the growth will be weak and 

 the flowers poor, and, if trained too hard, they will lack that 

 elegance of outline so essential in a first-class specimen. In the 

 case of spring-struck cuttings, they will not require stopping until 

 they are put in the five-inch pots, and are eight or nine inches in 

 height. They may then have the points nipped out, and one of the 

 shoots which push from the top buds trained up to take its place. 

 This will require stopping when it has attained a length of six inches, 

 and, at the same time, pinch the shoots back to about four inches 

 from the stem. This pinching must be repeated twice or three times 

 if the plants were started early and are growing vigorously ; but for 

 later plants, and those making slow progress, one more stopping will 

 suffice. In the latter case, they must not be put in pots exceeding 

 seven inches in diameter. Plants trained in the manner here ad- 

 vised will, by the time they come into bloom, form handsome 

 pyramids, ranging from two to three feet in height, and be of a pro- 

 portionate diameter at the base, and the only support required will 

 be a neat stake to support the main stem. 



For the information of those who have old plants to deal with, I 

 will now proceed to give directions for the management of the 

 plants the second year. lu pruning them, if they have been grown 

 m the form of pyramids, prune the side shoots to the second or 

 third joints from the base, and remove all small shoots altogether; 

 but those in the form of bushes should be cut down to witbin six 



