AND CONSERVATORY. Ill 



be spoiled, for the flovTers will be small and crowded and will 

 compress each other out of form. 



Standards may be produced by proper management of 

 any of the varieties, but the pompons and intermediates make 

 the best standards. As regards the potting and watering and 

 other routine matters, follow the instructions already given. 

 The special points alone concern us now. Select for standards 

 the strongest plants of suitable varieties, and in the month of 

 March shift them into forty -eight size. Keep the plant straight 

 by means of a light stake and be sure not to pinch the point 

 out. As side shoots appear pinch them back slightly so as to 

 leave one or two leaves to clothe the stem. When the stem is 

 as tall as you wish pinch out the point, and carefully but loosely 

 tie out the side shoots as they appear to form the head of the 

 plant. "When the shoots are four to six inches long stop them, 

 and tie with care the secondary shoots that follow. Tou may 

 go on stopping until the first week in July, and then stop for 

 the last time. Finish the training by the first week in Sep- 

 tember and house the plants rather early. 



Pyramids. — For this form pompons and intermediates are 

 best adapted. Select strong autumn cuttings and give them 

 the regular shifts and routine management as directed above. 

 In the training the matter of first importance is to pre- 

 serve the leader and all the side branches. About the end of 

 May stop all the shoots from top to bottom, stop them all again 

 in the middle of June, unless it be to restrain some shoots that 

 will grow out of bounds. To secure a rich eff'ect the utmost 

 should be made of every shoot, and the final training should 

 be done at the end of August, to allow time for the growth 

 that follows to push beyond the sticks, and produce the happy 

 efi"ect of a perfect plant. In some cases the uppermost shoots 

 will require to be trained downwards, and others must be taken 

 round the sticks which form the outside framework, in prefer- 

 ence to stopping them, and if all this is done in good time not 

 a stick or tie will be visible when the plant is in flower. 



Bush pompons of a somewhat rough but most efi'ective 

 character may be grown in quantity by an extremely simple 

 method. Plant out well-rooted cuttings in very poor soil in a 

 sunny situation eighteen inches apart every way. Give them 

 water if they want it, but the less water they have the better. 



