On the Culiivaiion of Annuals. 103 



six or eight leaves they should be potted into pots of the first size 

 (three inches in diameter), and again placed in the bed, plunging the 

 pots If convenient ; in a few days they will need repotting, which 

 should be performed as often as required. The soil should be light 

 and rich, composed mostly of leaves and perfectly decayed manure, 

 with very little loam. They should have plenty of water after the 

 second potting, and placed where they can have the influence of the 

 air, to make them grow stocky. In the month of June they should 

 be turned out of the pots Into the garden, where they need no further 

 care. Propagated In this manner, the plants will in autumn be three 

 feet high, and covered with heads of their showy flowers. There are 

 three varieties : Gomphrena globosa, G. globosa alba, and G. glo- 

 bosa striata (the latter very rare.) 



Lnpatiens balsamina (Double balsamine). It is seldom that this 

 beautiful annual is seen growing in its greatest perfection. Generally,, 

 the plants in our gardens are small and weak, with only a few spikes of 

 single, or semi-double flowers. Great care is requisite in saving the 

 seed, so as to produce full double blossoms. The seed should be 

 sown in pots in the hot-bed, and the plants treated similar to the 

 Globe amaranthus, as just mentioned. The spotted and variegated 

 varieties are the most beautiful. 



Celosia crisiata (Cock's-comb). This is a showy annual, and when 

 cultivated whh care, its large cock's-comb heads make a magnificent 

 show. The seeds should be sown in a hot-bed, and the plants potted 

 into the second size pots, (four inches in diameter.) As they pro- 

 ceed in growth, all lateral shoots should be taken off"; and they 

 should not be repotted, till the flowers are somewhat developed. 

 They should then be put into large pots, in a very rich soil, and water- 

 ed with liquid manure. Treated in this manner the blossoms attain 

 a large size. Two varieties: C. cristata, and C. cristata flavescens. 



Salpiglossis stram'tnca var. p'lcta. This exquishely beautiful an- 

 nual we flowered last season, for the first time in the country. The 

 atropurpurea, Barclayana, and hybrida, were also flowered in this 

 vicinity : neither of thern, we think, are to be compared with the 

 picta, in splendor. The Salpiglossises are very delicate plants, and 

 suffer very much by our heavy rains, and high winds. We are in- 

 clined to the opinion that they will never be cultivated to any extent 

 in the open border. We had only two plants of the picta, one of 

 which we placed in the green-house, where it flowered much more 

 elegantly than the other in the garden. The seeds were sown in the 

 hot-bed, and when the plants had made four or five leaves, they 

 were potted into small pots, and again placed in the hot-bed, where 

 they remained until removed to the green-house and garden. The 

 varieties do not seed freely. The soil for the plants in pots, should 

 be composed of loam and leaf mould, with a little sand ; too rich a soil 

 causes them to die off, when just showing bloom. The varieties are 

 Salpiglossis straminea, straminea picta, hybrida, Barclayana, linearis, 

 and atropurpiirea. 



