ON THE CULTIVATION OF CYCLAMENS. 235 



ARTICLE V. 



ON THE CULTIVATION OF CYCLAMENS. 



BY A FOREMAN OF A LONDON NURSERY. 



The admirer of curious, 'gay, and fragrant flowers ought not to 

 neglect the culture of the little lonely kinds of Cyclamens. The early 

 flowering kinds are truly ornamental in the winter and spring months 

 for either greenhouse or sitting-room, and continuing for a lengthened 

 period in bloom, renders them additionally attractive. And as bulbs 

 can at this season be obtained for blooming the coming one, I am 

 induced now to send a few remarks on their successful cultivation. I 

 have had, for the last ten years, upwards of three thousand pots 

 annually under my care, so that I have had to give considerable 

 practical attention during that period. 



I beg the reader to notice I grow them in pots, so that I am enabled 

 to remove them previous to winter, and place them on shelves in a 

 back shed, keeping them dry. I do not shake the bulbs out of the 

 soil, as it dries them too much, but put them in the soil they bloomed 

 in. The time of resting the roots depends on the sorts. C.Europeum 

 and Neapolitanum will be in bloom when C. Persicum is at rest. In 

 potting, have the pots well drained with potsherds, and use a com- 

 post in a rough state, consisting of equal parts of sandy loam and 

 leaf mould, to which add a quarter of well-rotted manure. 



The bulbs should never be wholly covered with the soil, but about 

 a third be exposed. The bulbs should be planted as soon as the least 

 sign of vegetation is observed. In promoting their blooming it must 

 be done very gradually, and great care is requisite not to water too 

 liberally, or the leaves will be very liable to damp off in the dull 

 season, especially those of C. Persicum and its varieties. Cyclamens 

 are readily increased by seeds, which should be sown as soon as ripe. 

 Those sown in autumn must be kept in the seed-pot till the end of 

 May, and then be carefully potted singly. Those sown in spring 

 must remain in the seed-pot till the following spring. When seed is 

 sown in autumn the pots should be placed in a warmish part, on a 

 shelf of the greenhouse, and be kept moderately dry. When sown 

 in spring the pots should be placed in a cool frame, and be kept 

 uniformly moist, not wet, till the plants push ; and as the young plants 

 are very liable to damp off, care is required in watering. 



