POTTED FLOWERING PLANTS 329 



prevent the cuttings from drying out, and every effort 

 made to prevent decay. 



494. Culture. The cuttings should root in six or 

 eight weeks, and by the first of January they should be 

 ready for two and one-half-inch pots. The soil for the 

 first potting should be a very sandy, porous loam, 

 and if some leaf-mold is added, the cuttings will 

 become better established. The average temperature 

 for the newly rooted and potted small plants should not 

 be below 65 at night. If the temperature is a trifle 

 higher, the growth will be better. When established in 

 the pots, they may be kept at a temperature of 60. 



As soon as the young plants fill the soil with feeding 

 rootlets, they should be re-potted. In later re-potting, 

 some well-rotted manure should be used in the soil, and 

 the amount gradually increased with each re-potting. 

 Great care should be taken in watering the young plants, 

 especially during long periods of cloudy weather. 



As the plants develop, they should be given full sunlight 

 and frequently pinched to make them symmetrical. By 

 the last of April, those propagated in November should be 

 in four-inch pots. They should then be kept in a tempera- 

 ture of from 55 to 60 at night, and given abundant 

 ventilation. After the first of May, the glass should be 

 shaded somewhat, or the leaves will burn. 



During the latter part of the summer, the plants will 

 begin to make a strong growth for the production of flowers. 

 They will require considerable attention in the way of 

 staking and tying up, but stakes should be used with care, 

 so that the plants will later be symmetrical, and the stakes 

 as inconspicuous as possible. The plants should be gone 

 over frequently, and given sufficient room in which to 

 develop their tops, so that they will not become spindling. 



