MARCH 329 



AURICULA. There is yet time to sow seed, indeed April will 

 not be too late. Partially submerging the pans when water is needed, 

 saves many seeds from being washed out and wasted. 



BALSAM. Although this flower comes from a tropical climate, 

 it is not very tender ; a gentle hot-bed is quite sufficient to bring up 

 the seed. Two or three sowings are advisable to secure a succession 

 of bloom ; and for the first, the middle of this month is the proper 

 time. It is important that the soil for this plant should be light, rich, 

 and very sweet. When the seedlings show their first rough leaves, 

 lose no time in pricking them off, and they should afterwards be 

 potted early enough to promote a dwarf habit. 



BEGONIA, TUBEROUS-ROOTED. Seed may still be sown for a 

 summer display. Transplant seedlings which are ready, and later on 

 pot them singly. 



CALCEOLARIA. Plants from last year's sowing will begin to move, 

 and should be shifted into their final pots before the buds show. 

 The 8- or lo-inch size ought to contain very fine specimens. The 

 compost for them should be prepared with care. For our own plants 

 we use the following proportions : one bushel good yellow loam, half- 

 bushel leaf- soil, one gallon silver sand, quarter pint concentrated 

 manure, and a quarter pint of soot, prepared several days before use. 

 Put the plants in firmly, and place them in a light airy greenhouse. 

 When the pots are filled with roots, an occasional dose of manure 

 water will be beneficial until the flowers begin to show colour, when 

 pure soft water alone will be required. Tie out the plants some time 

 before the buds attain full size. 



CAMPANULA. The hardy annual varieties, such as C. attica, should 

 be grown in the manner advised for hardy annuals. The half-hardy 

 perennials, such as C. fragilis and C. pyramidalis, if sown during this 

 month, will flower later in the year. Raise them in pans in a gentle 

 heat, and pot off when large enough. C. macrostyla is an exceed- 

 ingly beautiful variety, producing large flowers curiously marked. 

 It should be sown now or in April, and be treated as a half-hardy 

 annual. 



COLEUS is strictly a stove perennial, but as our winters generally 

 make the plants look sickly and unwholesome, it will in almost every 

 instance give more satisfaction if treated as an annual, enjoying the 

 beautiful and varied foliage during summer and autumn, and con- 

 signing the plants to the waste-heap as wintry days draw near. We 

 do not advise the sowing of seed earlier than March, because a 

 considerable amount of daylight is necessary to the development of 



