94 NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 



larger the flower the better it will be, provided it is circular 

 in outline, without crumples or seratures, and convex or 

 globular in shape instead of flat; the mouth of the purse 

 cannot be too small ; the colour should be bright, if a self 

 (all one colour) ; and if spotted, or blotched, the ground 

 colour should be clear and distinct, and the spots, c., well 

 marked, not running or fouling into each other, or feather- 

 ing into the ground colour. 



Propagation by Seed. Time of Sowing. If sown in 

 January and February, large flowering plants may be had in 

 November following. They grow very fast at the end of 

 Autumn, and after the turn of the day in Spring. The 

 second and third week in February may be considered a 

 good time for sowing. Take an earthen seed pan (or pot), 

 half fill it with drainage covered with rough soil, fill up to 

 within half an inch of the top with finely sifted compost as 

 recommended for auriculas, press firmly with a slate or bit 

 of board to make the surface perfectly level, then water 

 with a fine rose till the earth is thoroughly soaked, allow 

 them to drain for a day, then sow the seed on the surface, 

 a pinch of seed will suffice for an ordinary seed pan, cover 

 slightly with sand, then place a sheet of glass over the pan 

 and put it in a cool place. When the young plants are 

 fairly up, edge up the square of glass over the pot or pan, 

 first at night, and then during the day. When a little larger, 

 move the square of glass altogether. By this time the tiny 

 plants will have a few leaves, though it would be difficult, as 

 yet, to handle them singly. To prevent them damping at 

 the surface, lift little patches of several plants together, and 

 prick out these patches an inch or so apart, in pots or in 

 shallow pans. In two or three weeks it will be necessary to 

 prick out the plants in the little patches separately, leaving 

 about one inch or so between each two. As the Autumn 

 advances, the strongest, to bloom in October or November, 

 may have each a four-inch pot, and be shifted to a larger 

 one before the end of April ; but the chief supply may be 

 pricked out into shallow pans a couple of inches apart, or 

 four may be placed round the side of a five-inch pot. 

 Moisture, if not stagnant, will do little injury to them in 

 Winter. They may be grown with the protection of a cold 

 frame in Winter, paying great attention to air, and just secur- 



