THE ASTER FAMILY. 



249 



growing species known to us would answer equally well. 

 Seeds, as in the case of Dahlias, should be saved from plants 

 from which the flowers have been thinned. A dry sunny plant- 

 house is best in which to grow the seed-bearing plants, as 

 of all flowers this is most apt to suffer from dampness in the 

 atmosphere. 



Seeds should be sown in February in pans of light earth, 

 covered with a pane or bell-glass, and placed in a genial heat 

 of about 65. Like most other Composite seeds, they germi- 

 nate readily, and should then be placed on a shelf near the 

 light. Prick off into pans an inch or more apart, as soon as 

 they can be handled ; and if afterwards potted in well-manured 

 sandy loam, and placed in the open air in June, they will flower 

 the first year. 



Cineraria. A genus of winter and spring blooming de- 

 corative plants, which have long been popular in our gardens. 



Hybrid Cinerarias. 



Cineraria cruenta (see ' Bot. Mag.,' t. 406) was introduced from 

 the Canaries in 1777, and from this plant we may date our 

 greenhouse Cinerarias, it having been the parent together with 



