AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



239 



Calceolaria continued. 



the north, in sandy soil, and, when rooted, potted off 

 into Sin. pots. They should then be placed in a light 

 snnny frame, where they may remain nntil the middle of 

 February. The points should then be pinched out. When 

 the plants break, they must be shifted into 48-sized pots. 

 If there are from four to six breaks to each plant, it 

 will be sufficient; but, should such not be the case, the 

 plants must be stopped again, when the requisite number 

 will probably be obtained. Directly the roots touch the 

 pots, the plants should be transferred to 7in. or Sin. pots, 

 in which they will flower, and the shoots must be tied 

 out so as to develop fully. Every effort should be exerted 

 to keep the foliage green to the base of the plants, and 

 they should be fumigated on the first appearance of green 

 fly. As the flower-spikes are thrown up, weak liquid 

 manure, applied two or three times a week, will prove 

 beneficial. For potting, the following compost is most 

 suitable: One-half good fibrous loam, one- eighth thoroughly 

 rotted manure, and the remainder leaf soil, with enough 

 sharp sand to keep the whole open. During frosty weather, 

 of course, it will be necessary to protect the frames with 

 mats, and to water judiciously, to avoid damping. Those 



FIG. 321. HERBACEOUS CALCEOLARIA. 



plants intended for bedding will not require to be repotted, 

 but should be inserted, about Sin. apart, in sandy soil, in 

 a cold frame. The tops must be taken off early in March ; 

 and from the middle of April to the middle of May, they 

 may be planted out where they are to remain. Should 

 frosty weather, accompanied by drying winds, ensue, the 

 plants will require the protection of inverted flower-pots, 

 with pieces of slate or crock placed over the holes. A good 

 soil, abundantly enriched with rotten manure, is most 

 desirable for them. 



Varieties. These are very numerous. The best of them 

 are the following: BIJOU, dark red, very free; GAINE'S 

 YELLOW, rich deep yellow, extremely free ; GENERAL 

 HAVELOCK, crimson-scarlet, very fine; GOLDEN GEM, 

 bright yellow, perhaps the best; SPABKLER, crimson-gold, 

 dwarf ; VICTORIA, dark maroon, very attractive. 



HERBACEOUS SECTION. These, like the preceding, are 

 very useful, both for house and conservatory decoration 

 (see Fig. 321). A packet of seed from a first-class firm will, 



Calceolaria continued. 



if properly managed, produce a good percentage of ex- 

 cellent flowers. The seed may be sown from Jnne to 

 August, when large batches are required (when only one 

 sowing is made, July will be the best month), on pans 

 of light, sandy soil, which should be soaked with water 

 before sowing. Care must be taken to make the surface 

 of the soil level, and also to sow the seed as evenly as 

 possible. It is better not to cover with soil, but a sheet 

 of glass should be laid over the pan, which must be 

 placed in a shady part of the greenhouse or cold frame 

 until the young plants show the first leaf. The glass 

 can then be gradually removed. When large enough to 

 handle, the seedlings must be pricked out, about 2in. 

 asunder, in pans or boxes, and placed in a close, shaded 

 situation. As soon as of sufficient size, they must be 

 placed singly in Sin. pots, returned to the frame, kept close 

 for a few days, and as near the glass as possible, to make 

 them sturdy. When necessary, they should be shifted into 

 Sin. pots, in which they may be kept through the winter ; 

 or the later batches may be placed in small pots. By the 

 end of October or early in November, the plants will be 

 strong and fit for wintering; at this stage, the best place 

 for them is in a dry, frost-proof pit, or on an airy shelf of 

 the greenhouse, giving them sufficient water to prevent 

 flagging. All dead leaves must be removed. On the first 

 appearance of green fly, the plants should be fumigated 

 with tobacco. From the end of January onwards, in order 

 to encourage growth, the plants should be removed into 

 7in. or Sin. pots, giving plenty of drainage, and a com- 

 post consisting of one-half good light fibrous loam, one- 

 fourth thoroughly decayed sheep manure, and one-fourth 

 leaf soil, to which must be added sufficient coarse sand to 

 keep the whole open. After potting, the plants must be 

 again placed in the same position, and, as they require it, 

 plenty of room given. Careful attention to watering is 

 necessary, as they must not be allowed to get dry. Air 

 must be given on all suitable occasions. The flower-stems, 

 as they require it, should be supported with small neat 

 sticks. About May, the plants will commence to bloom, 

 and continue to do so for a couple of months. The best 

 flowers should be selected, and cross-fertilised with a 

 camel-hair pencil, in order to produce a good strain of 

 seed for future sowing. The attention of horticulturists 

 appears to be almost wholly confined to the innumerable 

 hybrids raised from amplexicaulis, arachnoidea, corymbose, 

 integrifolia, purpurea, thyrtoiflora, and a few others. Very 

 few pure species are seen in cultivation, although most of 

 them are well worth growing. 



C. alba (white), fl. white; peduncles elongated, racemose, 

 dichotomous. June. I. linear, remotely serrated. Plant suf- 

 fruticose, clammy, and resinous, h. 1ft. Chili, 1844. Shrubby. 

 (B. M. 4157.) 



C. amplexicaulis (stem-clasping). JL yellow, umbellately 

 fascicled ; corymbs terminal ; pedicels pilose. I. stem-clasping, 

 ovate-oblong, acuminated, cordate, crenately-serrated, pilose. 

 h. lift. Peru, 1845. Half-hardy, herbaceous. (B. M. 4300.) 

 C. arachnoidea (cobwebby).' JL purple ; peduncles terminal, 

 twin, elongated, dichotomous. June to September. I. lingulately- 

 oblong, a little -toothed, narrowing downwards into long winged 

 petioles, which are connate at the base ; about Sin. long, wrinkled. 

 Stem herbaceous, branched, spreading, clothed with white cob- 

 webbed wool, as well as the leaves and other parts, except the 

 corolla, h. 1ft Chili, 1827. (B. M. 2874.) 



C. bicolor (two-coloured).* Jl. in large terminal cymes ; upper lip 

 yellow, small ; lower lip large, gaping, conchiform, the front clear 

 yellow, the back white. July to November. L broadly-ovate, 

 sub-acute, coarsely crenated, wrinkled. A. 2ft. to 3ft. Stem much 

 branched, woody at the base. Peru, 1829. SVN. C. di/uta. 

 (B. B. 1374.) 



C. Burbidgei (Burbidge's).* Jl. rich yellow, with large lower lip. 

 Autumn and winter. I. ovate, distinctly obtusely biserrate, sub- 

 acute, with a narrow wing running down the petiole ; both sur- 

 faces downy, h. 2ft. to 4ft This is a handsome hybrid between 

 C. Pawnii and C. fuchsias/olio., raised by F. W. Bnrbidge, Esq., 

 Trinity College Botanic Gardens, Dublin, 1882. 

 C. chelidonioides (Chelidonium-like). A. yellow. June. h. 1ft 



Peru, 1852. Annual 



C. oorymbosa (corymbose). Jl yellow, marked with purple dots 

 and lines, corymbose. May to October. L, radical onei ovate 



