THE FLORAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 259 



ever, will be the most suitable, as the atmosphere can be kept more 

 moist, and the plants will make finer and more robust foliage here 

 than in the greenhouse. Whether flowers will be produced the first 

 season or not, will depend on the age and strength of the offsets ; 

 for unless these are strong when taken off, they will not flower the 

 first season. But as the Vallota flowers under ordinary treat- 

 ment towards September, and this without any particular means 

 being used to do so, beginners cannot do better than treat their 

 plants well during the growing season, exposing them freely 

 to sunshine after the beginning or middle of August ; and if they 

 do not bloom the first season, they will be sufficiently strong to do 

 so the second. The plant should be more freely exposed to air as 

 winter draws on, and the supply of moisture, both at the roots and 

 in the atmosphere, should also be gradually decreased ; for, although 

 it may be dried off and allowed to lose its foliage in the winter, as 

 is sometimes done, it does better when not allowed to quite die 

 down. Therefore the plants should be wintered in an airy part of 

 the greenhouse, and be very sparingly supplied with water, giving 

 j ust enough to preserve the foliage in health. 



Towards the middle of March the plants should be encouraged to 

 make growth, by removing them to a close pit, or the warmest part 

 of the greenhouse, and gradually increasing the supply of moisture. 

 The same treatment as already recommended will be suitable during 

 the growing season, except the repotting will probably be unneces- 

 sary, for the Vallota flowers more profusely when not over-potted, 

 and, of course, the plants should be placed in a dry, airy, cool atmo- 

 sphere while in bloom, in order to preserve the beauty of the flowers 

 as long as possible. If large masses are desired without loss of 

 time, however, a moderate shift should be given in spring to such 

 as have bloomed the previous season, until they are in 12 or 15- 

 inch pots, which will be sufficiently large to grow splendid masses. 

 And as it is not desirable to break up the plants oftener than can be 

 avoided, the offsets should be removed occasionally from established 

 masses, taking care to disturb the flowering bulbs as little as pos- 

 sible, and weak manure-water given during the growing season will 

 assist in preserving the vigour of such as have been grown for 

 several seasons in the same pots. But the Vallota will flower 

 finely in 8-inch pots, and those whose accommodation is not suit- 

 able for large specimens may with kindly treatment bloom it pro- 

 fusely for two or three years in this sized pot without breaking up 

 or shifting. 



"When it is deemed advisable to break up the specimens, in 

 order to afford them fresh soil, which will be necessary occasionally, 

 this should be done just before starting them into growth in 

 spring, and care should be taken to injure the roots as little as pos- 

 sible, and very little water should be given after breaking up and 

 repotting, especially in the case of large pots being used until 

 growth commences, as a too free supply while the roots are inactive 

 would tend to sour and ruin the soil. 



A compost consisting of about one-half turfy loam, one-third 

 good rich peat, and the remainder decayed leaf-soil, well inter- 



September. 



