oj Pelargoniums. 295 



each, without taking up much room, and he can also always have 

 a constant succession of bloom for five months in the year. 



The rationale of this mode of treatment is simply imi- 

 tating their natural climate — the south of Africa — where the 

 earth, for some months in the year, is dried up for want of 

 rain, and vegetation nearly ceases until the rainy season com- 

 mences, when the plains again become covered, as it were, with 

 a carpet composed of multitudes of plants, displaying all the va- 

 riety and brilliancy of coloring with which the vegetable kingdom 

 is adorned. This mode of allowing them a season of rest, or 

 rather starvation, only giving them enough of moisture to keep 

 them alive, is generally adopted by the London growers. Cat- 

 tleugh, one of the greatest growers for that market, adopts it 

 entirely; he keeps his plants in winter, (the weather, at that sea- 

 son, being much milder there than here,) in the open ground, 

 driving stakes around them, and putting cross pieces from one to 

 another, covering them all round and over with a thickness of 

 four to six bass mats, uncovering them once a week, for the pur- 

 pose of watering them; in this way they are kept excluded from 

 light and air, until they are repotted and put into the forcing 

 house. Gaines, Dennis, and nearly all the other growers, keep 

 them in frames and green-houses, in the way I have described. 

 It may be objected that there is too much trouble attending this 

 mode, but upon trial it will be found amply to repay it, — for in- 

 stead of the long legged, ugly looking plants, which we generally 

 see, we shall have fine, dwarf, healthy plants, with large foliage, 

 and large umbels of brilliant colored flowers, with the beautiful 

 pencilling which is peculiar to this lovely tribe of plants, strongly 

 and well defined. 



It may be because I am a great admirer of this plant, but I 

 really think there is no green-house exotic which so amply re- 

 pays the care bestowed upon it as the pelargonium, — there are 

 none which display such a variety or contrast of colors, com- 

 prising the purest white, the most delicate blush imaginable, the 

 richest crimson, the most brilliant scarlet, velvety purple, fiery 

 orange, or the finest rose or pink, contrasted with beautiful pur- 

 ple, black, or white spots and pencillings, some combining two 

 or three of these colors, almost equalling in beauty the exquisite 

 coloring and tinting of the Cereus speciosissimus; others again 

 having a bizarre and unique appearance, the petals being of dif- 

 ferent colors. A good collection of pelargoniums, well bloom- 

 ed, forms a coup d^ail well worth going a hundred miles out of 

 one's way to see. 



Yours, respectfully, 



Thomas Hogg. 



JVcw York^ July IS, 1S37. 



