BEDDING PLANTS. 83 



soil which is open enough to enable the small succulent roots to ramify 

 freely through it. 1 1 is not necessary to have the soil largely of vegetable 

 humus; one that answers well may be made up as follows: Screen 

 some soil through a No. 8 sieve; the rough material which does not go 

 through the meshes put through a No. 3 sieve. This, mixed with leaf 

 soil, to one-third of its bulk, will insure a good germination. The idea 

 is to keep the roots in a healthy growing, state with abundance of air 

 around the seed leaves to prevent damping off. Pansies do better out- 

 side during Winter than most people suppose. Planted early with a 

 little mulching, and if the weather gets very severe, some old stable 

 bedding thrown over them, will give all the protection necessary. For 

 plants for Spring sales the seed may be sown late and Wintered in cold 

 frames, or it may be sown early in the Spring; but the most satisfactory 

 plants are obtained from early sowing. 



Tufted Pansies These are what the Scotch florists up to within a few 

 years ago called bedding Violas; but as Pansies, tufted Pansies 

 and Violets are all members of the genus Viola, the use of the generic 

 name for any one section of the genus has generally been discarded. 

 The tufted varieties are hybrids from V. cornuta, V. lutea and V. trico- 

 lor. They spread at the root much more than the ordinary Pansies do, 

 making a great mass of flowers, especially in cool climates, for the 

 greater part of the Summer. After Pansies having become so popular 

 in this country I am afraid the tufted Pansy would have a struggle for 

 existence in the estimation of the ordinary flower lover. Although in 

 the tufted Pansies there .is a greater diversity of color, more graceful 

 flowers, and the plants are very floriferous, the flowers are much smaller 

 than in the ordinary Tansy, and it is a question if they would become 

 popular. 



PEL ARGONIUn (This genus includes the bedding Geranium). Cut- 

 tings are rooted during the end of September or first half of October, 

 according to locality. Plants that are well developed without being 

 "drawn" are best for supplying cuttings. The usual method is to put 

 each cutting in a thumb pot and stand these close together for the time 

 being in a frame or cool house. Leaf mould, sand and loam in equal 

 parts will answer as a soil. Give one watering, enough to moisten the 

 soil; subsequent waterings will be necessary only when it gets dry. 

 Take the cutting immediately under a joint and shorten back the large 

 leaf blades one half. By the end of the year they should be shifted into 

 3-inch pots, using stronger soil, and a month or six weeks later the 

 plants will give a batch of cuttings which may be potted like the first 

 lot. A hot, stagnant atmosphere must be avoided at all times. A sav- 

 ing of time and space may be accomplished, together with providing 

 equally fine plants, if the old method of propagation be adhered to. 

 This consists in putting the cuttings, made with the leaf blades short- 

 ened somewhat, into boxes pretty thickly together, standing the boxes 

 outside, partly shaded from the sun until they root. Little water is 

 given during the operation, and heavy rains are to be guarded against 

 by having sash ready to cover the plants. The soil used should be such 

 as to enable the rooted cuttings to thrive in it until January when they 



