CULTURE OF CALCEOLARIAS. ■ 203 



obtaining a very large supply of seed, which last year afforded me 

 three thousand plants, and I have now as many to bloom next year. 

 It is easily ascertained when the seed vessels are ripe; I am careful 

 to gather it immediately, and all the seed I collect by the end of 

 August, I sow immediately, so that the plants get strong enough to 

 endure winter. On the other hand, if sown much later they are 

 generally too weak to survive, so that all late seed I save till spring. 

 I sow the seed upon some finely sifted soil, and place it in a hot- 

 bed frame, being careful to keep it moist by sprinkling with water, 

 through the medium of a syringe with a fine rose ; this keeps the 

 soil moist without washing it bare. 



In order to insure the seedlings for blooming, I plant them out 

 into some light rich soil in a cool frame, as early as I find them 

 strong enough to bear it. In the winter I protect tbem by the lights 

 and straw hurdles in severe weather. 



In watering Calceolarias, I find it necessary to avoid watering the 

 centre of the plant, or it will very soon rot. I pour the water liber- 

 ally over the soil, not only close up to the plant, but as far as the 

 roots extend, by this attention I never lost a single plant. 



I find too, that the Calceolarias flourishes best when a portion of 

 fresh loam is added ; I add to it some well rotted manure, but has it 

 mixed with the soil three months before planting, for very fresh ma- 

 nure kills the plant. 



Scarcely any plant is more easily increased, the offsets and slips 

 being mostly furnished with small roots, these taken off and inserted 

 in a pot, at the side of it, they will soon strike, and become fit for 

 parting and final planting. The greatest difficulty with the Calceo- 

 laria, is to keep it through the winter. But I succeed with the fol- 

 lowing treatment, so as not to loose a single plant. 



At the end of September I take off a sufficiency of slips and offsets, 

 and having a quantity of pots filled one-third with broken potsherds, 

 I pot six or eight in each 24 sized pot, using a soil composed of 

 equal parts of peat and loam. This admits of water passing off freely, 

 so that in the damp of winter the plants never suffer from wet. Af- 

 ter potting I keep the plants in a shady place out of doors till the 

 frost is likely to commence, 1 then remove them into the cool frame, 

 where they are kept from frost. In order to keep them dry, I have 

 the pots placed upon bricks. 



Early in March I pot off the plants into 48 sized pots, still keep- 

 ing them in the cool-frame, for if placed where there is much warmth, 

 they often perish. ] give air at all favourable opportunities, and stir 

 the surface of the soil when ever it becomes mouldy or green. 



