CARNATION CELOSIA PLUMOSA 227 



sisting of about three parts of turfy loam, to one part each of cow- 

 manure and sweet leaf-mould, with a small addition of fine grit. A 

 compost that has been laid up for a year, according to the orthodox 

 practice of florists, is very much to be desired ; but it may be 

 prepared off-hand if care be taken to have all the materials in a 

 sweet, friable state, free from pastiness, and as far as possible free from 

 vermin. By laying it in a heap, and turning two or three times, the 

 vermin will be pretty well got rid of. Sow from April until August 

 in 4^-inch pots, which must be thoroughly drained. The seed 

 must be very lightly covered, and sheets of glass should be laid over 

 to check evaporation. Place the pots in a closed frame, or if the 

 season be genial a sheltered border will suffice. Immediately the 

 plants are large enough to handle, prick them off into seed-pans, or 

 round the rim of 48-size pots. Place these in a cold pit or in a 

 quiet part of the greenhouse. Give shade and water until the plants 

 have formed six or eight leaves, and then choose a moist day for 

 planting out. 



To insure the seedling plants flowering in the following summer, 

 it is necessary to have them strong and robust before the winter sets 

 in. As the blooming stems rise they must be carefully tied to tall 

 sticks, stout enough to carry a cover for the bloom, if the plants are 

 not flowered under glass. When the buds show they should be 

 thinned, leaving as a rule the top, third, and fourth buds. The 

 second is often too near the first, and some will not carry the 

 fourth with vigour. When the pods are swelled nearly full of petals, 

 each one must be carefully tied with a thin strip of matting a little 

 below halfway down, or the petals will burst the pod, which spoils 

 the flower and disqualifies it for exhibition. 



CELOSIA PLUMOSA 



Plumed Cockscomb. Greenhouse annual 



THE conditions which suit a liberally grown Cockscomb will pro- 

 duce long graceful plumes of Celosia plumosa, but the starving 

 system will not answer with this plant. Sow in February or March, 

 and by means of a steady heat, regular attention with water, and a 

 rather moist atmosphere, the specimens should be grown without a 

 check from beginning to end. When they reach the final pots an 

 occasional dose of weak manure water will help them, both in size 



Q2 



