n 



branches the better plant it will make. Pinch off the 

 shoots as they appear, allowing them to grow only 

 three or four inches long. Remove all buds that ap- 

 pear before fall and shift to larger pots if needed, 

 though Geraniums do not need as much pot room 

 when blooming as many other flowers. Give liquid 

 manure once a week after the buds appear before 

 that time the use of fertilisers encourages the produc- 

 tion of foliage rather than of flowers. 



Zonales should bloom by February and Pelargoni- 

 ums by March or April the first year. They should 

 be watered more freely when in bloom. Geraniums 

 should be grown close to the glass to give best results. 

 In prolonged cloudy weather the buds will blast and 

 the new growth look sickly in spite of all care. Pe- 

 largoniums are very satisfactory when raised from 

 seed, showing great diversity of colour and markings. 

 When they have finished blooming in the spring cut 

 them back freely, using the cuttings for new plants. 

 The old plants should be set in the shade to rest and 

 watered sparingly. At the end of that time they may 

 be brought into the sunlight or plunged into open 

 ground and encouraged to grow freely. Removing 

 a portion of the leaves at this time every other one, 

 for instance will cause new shoots to break at the 

 axils of the leaves, and every new shoot means new 

 blossom points. By the middle of September the 

 plants should be lifted, cut back to the point where 

 the wood begins to harden, and given a warm, sunny 



