136 THE amateur's geeenhouse 



weather use a little fire-heat to admit of the ventilators being 

 opened for a short time during the early part of the day, rather 

 than keep them closed for fear of the house getting too cold. 

 It is an important matter not to deprive the plants of a breath 

 of fresh air for the sake of a few shovelfuls of firing, when air 

 can be admitted without injury. 



If carefully wintered they will flower freely from early in 

 March until the following May, or longer, if required. They 

 are, however, not required after the middle of the last-men- 

 tioned month for conservatory decoration, as varieties with 

 more highly finished flowers will be coming freely into bloom. 

 About the middle of May place the plants in a dry airy house, 

 where they will receive just sufiicient protection from frost. 

 Early in June place them out of doors on a bed of coal-ashes 

 to ripen the wood, and immediately that is accomplished cut 

 the shoots back to three or four buds each, in the same manner 

 as other varieties. Let them remain on the bed of ashes until 

 the young shoots are about half an inch long, and then shake 

 out, carefully prune the roots, and repot in six- or eight-inch 

 pots, in which they will remain until the next year. When 

 potted, they should be placed in a cold frame, and have the 

 freest ventilation possible. The lights should only be put 

 on in wet weather, and then they should be tilted back and 

 front, the object being merely to protect the plants from be- 

 coming too wet at the roots. No stopping will be required 

 after the first shoots have had the points nipped ofi", as these 

 varieties have a very compact branching habit, and bushy well- 

 shaped specimens can be obtained without excessive pinching 

 and stopping. In September they must go to the greenhouse, 

 and from that time receive the attention advised for the young 

 stock the previous season. 



To secure a good bloom of forced geraniums in October is 

 easy enough, but there must be no stint of care in summer and 

 no stint of firing in winter. Make and manage the plants, as 

 advised above for flowering them in March. Put them in a 

 cold frame at the end of May, and thence remove them to a 

 bed of ashes in the open in June, pinch out the points of all 

 the shoots the first week of July, and carefully shift them into 

 one size larger pots in the last week of July. House them in 

 September near the glass and give plenty of air. As the 

 weather becomes dull and damp, start the tire gently and give 

 air with more caution. They are not to be hard forced, but 



