330 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



They make their best growth when placed upon inverted 

 pots, for this allows a better circulation of air and light, and 

 the plants are very much more symmetrical. 



By the first of September, the shade should be gradu- 

 ally removed and the plants placed in their flowering 

 pots. After they have become thoroughly established, they 

 should be given dilute liquid manure every week. Many 

 growers pick the early flowers to bring them into full bloom 

 at about the same time; others believe that if the first 

 blooms are picked, it hardens the flowering wood, and the 

 later blooms are not as satisfactory. 



Plants propagated in November should be large enough 

 for sale the following November. Cuttings may be taken 

 later than November, and grown for Easter sales. The 

 size of the plant is not of so much importance as that the 

 plant be symmetrical and well filled with blooms. Some 

 varieties will not propagate readily from leaf cuttings, 

 for example, the new variety Mrs. Heal. Those who have 

 grown this plant state that it roots more readily from stem 

 cuttings. In regard to the growth of this variety, William 

 Downs, Superintendent of the Webster Estate, Chestnut 

 Hill, Massachusetts, states that they are much the same as 

 the Lorraine in their habit of growth. They do not make 

 a very vigorous growth until August or September, when 

 they commence to grow rapidly. Downs emphasizes the 

 fact that at no time should they be carelessly watered, for 

 overwatering causes a rotting of the bulbs, which destroys 

 the plants. 



To carry the old plants through the winter, it is necessary 

 to give them good care after the flowering season. They 

 should be kept in a temperature of about 50 until spring, 

 and as soon as they begin to show signs of growth, they are 

 re-potted and put in a warmer house. They are then 



