246 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



the trusses made their appearance, they were removed to another 

 division ; here great attention was paid to the aeration, admitting 

 air at every opportunity till set. The atmosphere of the house must 

 he kept as dry as possible while the plants are setting. It is a good 

 plan to use camel-hair pencils for fertilizing the plants. This should 

 be done in the middle of the day. I have seen them fertilized by 

 using a pair of bellows, which answers the purpose very well. When 

 it is discovered that the fruit is set, the plants are benefited by a 

 rest in a low temperature for five or six days. When I say a low 

 temperature, I do not mean lower than that in which they have 

 been while the fruit was setting. A temperature of 60° night heat, 

 with a rise of 10° or 12° during day, will be found adequate to the 

 welfare of the fruit. They will vary little in this heat, consequently 

 they have time to complete themselves, which they, of course, could 

 not do, if placed in a high temperature to swell them off (as some 

 people imagine) quickly. If placed in a high temperature imme- 

 diately they are set, it is many chances to one if they perfect a 

 single fruit. They are one-sided generally. In all cases success 

 depends on patience, perseverance, a good deal of sound judgment, 

 and a great deal of carrying and moving to and from of pots. To 

 have strawberries ripe the latter end of February, the gardener must 

 be in attendance early and late. 



CULTURE OF THE PANSY. 



|HE following instructions may be useful to amateurs be- 

 ginning to grow this flower for the first time. Having 

 fixed upon your situation for your bed (one having a 

 south-eastern aspect, and well sheltered from all winds 

 is the best that can be selected, taking care that it is 

 not so overhung with trees as to cause the plants to be drawn, or 

 where they will catch the drippings from the boughs), at any time 

 between October and February mark out your ground in plots, 

 three or four feet wide, with one foot alleys, remove the soil from the 

 beds to the depth of eight inches, and fill them to the height of 

 three inches above the alleys with previously prepared compost, the 

 roughest or coarsest portion of which should be made use of first, 

 reserving the finer parts for the surface. 



The next operation to be considered is planting ; for this choose 

 a dry day, towards the latter end of March or the beginning of April, 

 and having first neatly raked the bed, proceed to mark off the in- 

 tended rows at one foot apart, and when planting leave a space of 

 at least ten inches between each plant. After planting it would be 

 advisable to turn a garden pot over each plant for the first day or 

 two, to shade it from the sun, wind, or frost. If there has been 

 frost during the night, be very careful not to uncover them if the 

 sun be at all likely to shine. Pansies love a moist, still atmosphere, 

 and are very impatient of wind ; all sudden changes are also very 

 prej udicial. 



