NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 103 



Winter Culture. By the time the plants, whether offsets 

 or seedlings, are ready for repotting out of their first-sized 

 pots, cold nights will have begun to occur, which brings the 

 time of culture under this head. Bring the plants on to 

 the potting bench ; prepare a pot by placing a large piece 

 of potsherd over the hole at the bottom of the pot, then a 

 layer of the larger size, and a second layer of the smaller 

 size ; place a thin layer of the rougher parts of the compost 

 upon them and as much soil as will keep the plant just level 

 with the rim of the pot ; set the plant in the pot, and fill 

 round it with the compost, pressing it gently down. Be 

 careful not to break the leaves, as they are very brittle and 

 tender. When the pot is quite full, give it a gentle knock 

 upon the bench, to finally settle the soil. When all are 

 finished, give a gentle watering, and place them in a cold 

 frame ; shade them if they flag from the sun, and water 

 when necessary. They will soon require another shift. 

 To know when they require it, turn a plant carefully out of 

 its pot, and if the roots have reached the sides of the pot, 

 and through the drainage, repot again immediately ; for, if 

 the roots once become closely matted, the plants will be 

 crippled in their growth. The grand object is to keep them 

 growing freely till they make large, broad-leaved plants, in 

 eight-inch pots, before they begin to show their flower-stems. 

 Keep them in the cold frame or pit through the Winter ; only 

 take care to cover them up securely every night. On all 

 fine days give abundance of air ; pick off all decaying leaves 

 should they appear, and only water when absolutely necessary. 

 They grow and keep healthy much better in such a situa- 

 tion than in a greenhouse. 



Summer Culture. As soon as the warm mild days of 

 Spring arrive, give the plants their last shift, and, if desira- 

 ble, remove them into the greenhouse at once, placing them 

 as near the glass as possible. The flower stems will now be 

 advancing rapidly. Cinerarias are very subject to green 

 fly before they flower. The safest preventive is a daily 

 syringing with soft water. If this is not effectual the plants 

 must be fumigated with tobacco in the evening, and when 

 the foliage of the plant is dry, syringe the plants well next 

 morning. 



