Cineraria 



CINERARIA 



Greenhouse annual 



THE comparative ease with which the Cineraria can be well grown, 

 together with the exceeding beauty and variety of its flowers, will 

 always insure for it a high position in public favour. It is now so 

 generally raised from seed that no other mode of culture need be 

 alluded to. The plant is rapid in growth, very succulent, thirsty, 

 requires generous feeding, and will not endure extremes of heat or 

 cold. A compost of mellow turfy loam, either yellow or brown, with 

 a fair addition of leaf-mould, will grow it to perfection. If leaf- 

 mould cannot be obtained, turfy peat will make a fairly good substi- 

 tute. Soil from an old Melon bed will also answer, with the addition 

 of sharp grit such as road sand, or the sifted sweepings from gravel 

 walks; the disadvantage of a very rich soil is that it tends to the 

 production of too much foliage. 



The usual period for sowing is during the months of May and June ? 

 and, as a rule, the plants raised in May will be found the most 

 valuable. A June sowing must not be expected to produce flowers 

 until the following March or April. It is quite possible to have 

 Cinerarias in bloom in November and December, and those who care 

 for a display at that early period should sow in April. 



Cinerarias grow so freely that it is not necessary to prick the 

 seedlings off round the edges of pots or pans ; but immediately the 

 plants begin to make their second leaves, transfer direct to thumb 

 pots, using rather coarse soil, and in doing this take care not to cover 

 the hearts of the plants. Place the pots in a close frame ; attend to 

 shading, and sprinkle with soft water both morning and evening until 

 well established. In the second week after potting, gradually diminish 

 the heat and give more air. Too high a temperature, and even too 

 much shade, will produce thin and weakly leaf-stalks. If the plants 

 are so crowded that they touch one another it will almost certainly 

 be productive of mischief, and render them an easy prey to some of 

 their numerous enemies. It is far better to grow a few really fine 

 specimens that will produce a handsome display of superb flowers, 

 than to attempt a large number of feeble plants that will prove a 

 constant source of trouble, and in the end yield but a poor return 

 in bloom. Endeavour to grow them as nearly hardy as the season 

 will allow, even admitting the night air freely on suitable occasions. 



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