THE GERANIUM. 123 



branches, then to keep these as a sort of framework 

 from which laterals are emitted on which will come the 

 flowers in the autumn. As soon as these laterals have 

 done flowering, or during the winter, spur them in to 

 a bud or two. 



Old Fuchsias should be cut back to the base of the 

 laterals which spring from the main leader during the 

 winter or in the early spring, and induced to make a 

 vigorous growth from these spurs. In most cases two 

 or three year old plants will make as fine flowering 

 specimens as one year old plants. 



The Geranium. 



There are three or four distinct classes of the Gera- 

 nium. There is what is called the " Fancv," the 

 " Zonal," the " Bicolor," and the " Tricolor.'*' The 

 first are the general favourites, but the second are 

 beautiful specimens for cutting for bouquets and for bed- 

 ding ; while the last-named are among the most striking 

 and peculiar in the genus. 



Now each of these divisions requires a somewhat 

 different management in regard to the cutting of them. 

 The Fancy kind must be cut back annually after flower- 

 ing, let that be when it may ; i.e. if this has taken 

 place early and flowers are wanted in the following 

 year, cut them back as soon as the flowering is over. 

 This cutting back, or cutting down as some call it, 

 consists in doing so as far as the base of the last 

 growth, leaving a good bud at the base on which de- 

 pendence may be placed for a strong shoot as the basis 

 of a good plant for the next year. As soon as these 

 have made an inch and a half of young growth nip 

 out each point. This will induce several laterals to issue 

 on the base of it, and each of these may be stopped 

 again as soon as they get two inches long. 



The stopping or nipping out of the young growth 

 must be discontinued fully two months before they are 

 required to flower, or even more. The stopping or 

 nipping out of the leaders retards the flowering season ; 



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