THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 2 ^7 



Several of your readers will have remarked that if a hot sun 

 succeed rainy weather, many of the plants begin to droop, and 

 would soon die off if not shaded. The same effect is also produced 

 when a bed previously shaded is suddenly exposed to the heat of the 

 mid-day sun. If you find any plant thus affected, place a hand-glass 

 over it, and form it into cuttings. But after all due care and 

 attention have been bestowed, it will frequently be found that some 

 of the plants fog off". This has been attributed to the wire-worm, 

 but I have never found that pest at or in the roots of any pansy I 

 have taken up, which I invariably do when any of the plants fall 

 prostrate. Strength or freshness of the manure, and its being too 

 retentive of moisture, have been assigned as other causes ; that this 

 disease has been accelerated by them I have no doubt, but it cannot 

 be the only reason, as they very frequently fog off in poor sandy 

 soils. Perhaps some of your readers can suggest the true cause. 

 Any person who may wish to send flowers for exhibition will be 

 quite unable to compete successfully, unless he covers his beds at 

 least a week previously to each show, to protect the plants from 

 being battered by the wind or rain, or faded by the sun ; in hot 

 weather it will prevent excessive evaporation, and in cold keep the 

 temperature more uniform. The frame for the cover should be at 

 least three or four feet above the bed in the centre, and supported at 

 the four corners on posts at about eight inches from the surface, to 

 allow the free circulation of air ; it may be made similar to a tulip 

 frame. 



One of the greatest enemies the pansy-grower has to contend 

 with is the slug ; during one night it will make as great ravages 

 among the blossoms as will require a week to replace. The best 

 method to rid yourself of these intruders is to water the bed with 

 clear lime water during the evening, after a shower of rain (when 

 they come out in great abundance) ; but any person wishing to 

 show, must carefully search for them both morning and evening. 

 They generally secrete themselves under the leaves or close to the 

 roots of the plants. In order to guard as much as possible against 

 depredations of slugs, etc., let your beds be edged with slate or 

 stone, which affords no harbour for them, and always looks neat. 

 There i3 only one other remark I would wish to make concerning 

 the general management of these plants, namely, never to water 

 your beds even in the driest aeasou, but in its stead, if continued hot 

 weather is expected, I will advise that fresh cow manure be placed 

 round the base of each plant, which, by preventing too rapid evapo- 

 ration, will be amply suflicient to preserve a due amount of moisture 

 about the roots. For the propagation of old and known varieties 

 about the middle of this month, take strong short-jointed cuttings 

 from those plants which are the healthiest and have: produced good 

 flowers during the season, and strike them in a shady bed, made 

 of equal parts of silver or sharp sand, leaf-soil, a little bog earth, 

 and garden mould; for the iirst few days they should be covered 

 with a hand-glass, and shaded from the sun, but no protection 

 will be required afterwards. When the cuttings are sufficiently 

 rooted, which will be in about throe weeks or a month, plant them 



August. 



