BUDS, BLOOM, AND EARLY BIRD 



bigger flowers from strong plants than from weak ones, Feb. 

 and certainly, so far as Petunias are concerned, I do not I~I4 

 believe that poor, dry soil is better than rich, moist 

 mould, because I have proved the contrary. 



We like to grow Petunias both in garden and green- 

 house, and the seedsmen, who watch over us with a 

 fatherly solicitude, and extract shillings and half-crowns 

 from us with a paternal air, give us " strains " suitable 

 for either purpose. Turn to the Petunia page in the 

 catalogue of a prominent seedsman, and you will nearly 

 always find two, and generally three, sections. There 

 is (i) Double Fringed^ which is the one for pots ; it can 

 always be bought in mixture, and often in separate 

 colours also. I cannot admit a personal predilection 

 for the dark-coloured sorts, but the pink, and the pink 

 with white, are pretty ; while as for the pure white fringed, 

 it is a glorious plant for the amateur's greenhouse. 

 There is (2) the Bedding Single, which may be rose 

 white, striped, or mixed, and is of dwarf, neat habit. 

 The rose is particularly good ; it has a clear white 

 eye, and is charming as a flower, as well as beautiful 

 as a plant. Finally, there is (3) the Large Floweritig 

 Single, which may have plain or fringed flowers, and 

 may be white, rose, crimson, striped, scarlet, or mixed 

 in colour. 



Early February is a good time to raise all the 

 Petunias, whether for indoors or not, and they may be 

 treated as advised for other small seeds in the first 

 chapter. 



Stocks for Pots. — Do amateurs in general know the 

 East Lothian Stock, I wonder ? It is a form of the 

 Intermediate, a dwarf Stock of neat habit, the special 

 value of which lies in the fact that it will bloom under 

 glass in winter and spring, if raised from seed th^ 



7^ 



