220 HOW TO FORCE PLANTS IN WINTER. 



only in sunny weather, as the plants are liable to damp 

 off. 



The only insect attacking the pansy is the green fly, 

 which is easily removed by fumigation. 



The fine varieties may be propagated by cuttings of the 

 young shoots, which root freely in sandy loam, under a bell 



glass. 



THE LILY OF THE VALLEY. 



The Convallaria majalis, or Lily of the Valley, is now 

 an old inhabitant of our gardens, and still very generally 

 admired, on account of the delicious fragrance of its 

 beautiful bell-shaped flowers. As a companion to the 

 crocus, snowdrops, hyacinths, and other early flowering 

 bulbs, it well merits every attention. To have it in flower 

 about Christmas, the tubers should be taken up from the 

 garden about the middle of^November, or at latest the 

 third week. The tubers should not be less than three 

 .years old ; if more, all the better. The little tubers of 

 the Lily of the Valley are of two kinds, those with sharp- 

 pointed buds, and those with thick, blunt buds. The 

 former produce leaves only, the latter flowers. 



Now, in choosing for forcing, take the bluntest and 

 fullest buds you can find, for it is important every bud 



