THE GESXERACEOUS HOUSE. 127 



carpus, with its curious construction ; the Nigella, a 

 kind of Gesnera with very handsome foliage and ex- 

 quisite flowers, which are produced in winter, making 

 them valuable for cut flowers : these all require a good 

 house, and in general a brisk and lively heat a stove 

 heat of 70 to 80 is required to grow them well. The 

 house for all these should be double-glazed. 



The Achimenes and Streptocarpus may be grown in 

 a common greenhouse through the summer, but must 

 first be started into growth in a good heat ; but in the 

 colder counties it is necessary to grow all of them in 

 a temperature of 70 up to 80 with shade. In my 

 opinion, a house filled with Gesneras of all classes 

 possesses a feature and a charm quite uncommon for 

 those who delight in what is really gorgeous and hand- 

 some, combined with what may be called exquisite* 

 If we refer only to the tribe of the Gloxinia, this is 

 fully realised ; but add to this the other species and 

 their varieties, and then we find that these words fall 

 into insignificance as descriptive of what is meant by 

 the terms ' handsome, beautiful, and exquisite ; ' for no 

 words can convey any adequate idea of what they really 

 are when well grown and in masses. 



None of these are difficult to grow : the chief thing 

 is to preserve the roots well through the winter or the 

 time when they are dormant, and to have a good com- 

 post of half-dry leaf-mould, peat, maiden loam, and 

 silver sand to start them in, when they are to be 

 excited, and a brisk heat to continue them in whenever 

 that is done, and to maintain a good even temperature 

 while they are growing, never allowing the full power 

 of the sun to fall upon them. 



The house recommended for the Geraniums may be 



