86 ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE LOBELIA CARDINALIS. 



ARTICLE VI. — On a simple and successful Method of 

 Cultivating the Lobelia cardinalis, fyc. By Mr. John 



WlNFIELD. 



I take the liberty to suggest, that the general usefulness of the 

 Floricultural Cabinet would he greatly increased, if some of your 

 readers who do not possess any great convenience for the cultiva- 

 tion of plants, would communicate, for insertion in it, the success 

 which attends their simple experiments for that purpose. No 

 doubt the generality of your readers have neither stove, nor hot- 

 house, nor greenhouse, but only a hand-light or hot-bed, for rais- 

 ing their plants ; and, therefore, their observations would be par- 

 ticularly valuable to those in a like situation with themselves. 

 To prove my willingness to act upon the plan which I now pro- 

 pose that others should follow, I beg leave to mention my method 

 of cultivating the Lobelia cardinalis, as it appears to me to be 

 more simple than that mentioned by " An Ardent Amateur," at 

 page 225 of Vol. I. I would, then, recommend to those who have 

 no great convenience for plants, to take their Lobelia roots out of 

 the ground in the beginning of November, clean them, and keep 

 them dry and protected from the frost (for instance, on a board in 

 a dry cellar) till the end of March. Then separate the roots, and 

 plant each of them in a small pot ; and if the plants cannot be 

 put in a hot-bed to start them, keep them in a room with a fire till 

 they have fairly taken root. After tbat strengthen them by degrees 

 in a cooler place, and plant them out in a light rich soil, in the 

 beginning of June ; and as they grow, trim them up to one stem, 

 and water them every night in warm weather. Such is my treat- 

 ment of the Lobelia cardinalis, which has been as successful as it 

 is simple ; and I may add, I have scarcely seen a more beautiful 

 bed than I have had this year, having mixed the Verbena inelin- 

 drcs, which so soon covers the ground, with the Lobelia cardinalis. 

 As I profess to write only for the information of those who have 

 little or no convenience for their plants, perhaps it may not be 

 uninteresting to such persons to hear, that I preserved during last 

 winter most of the plants which I had of the Verbena melindres 

 in the open border, by putting some coal-ashes over them ; my 

 situation is a dry one. 



\2th December, 1833. John Winfield. 



