CHAP. V. ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHftUBS, ETC. 433 



GERANIACE^]. 



Geranium. 



G. Nepalense. A small pot-plant ; bears small pretty pink 

 flowers, much resembling those of an Oxalis. 



Pelargonium. 



The several species of this genus amount to some hundreds, 

 all, with scarcely an exception, natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. The few met with in the locality of Calcutta are the 

 common scarlet, the Ivy-leaved, and some five or six perhaps of 

 the scented-leaf kinds, most of which it is no easy matter to 

 preserve through the Hot and Kain seasons, surviving the 

 former only to perish probably in the latter. During the 

 whole of these periods their growth seems to be almost en- 

 tirely arrested, and the difficulty then is to prevent the soil in 

 which they are grown from becoming too dry, or from being kept 

 too wet. The best situation for them during the Hot season is 

 undoubtedly where they are sheltered as much as possible from 

 sun and wind, and during the Kains, where, with as much light 

 as can possibly be given them, they are effectually protected 

 from the drenching wet. With all the precautions, however, 

 which can be adopted, many will probably perish. 



When at Ferozepore I raised from seed several of the large 

 handsome flowering kinds, which blossomed in fine condition and 

 most freely in March, eighteen months from the time the seed 

 was sown. These all perished in the succeeding Hot season. 

 From this the conclusion seems obvious, that young- wooded 

 plants may survive the Hot season, but that old- wooded ones 

 will not. Had I then in the Cold season secured a fresh stock 

 of plants from cuttings, there is the probability that these too 

 might have lived through to rejoice me with their flowers the 

 following Cold season. 



The seeds are very retentive of their vitality, and those received 

 from England generally germinate freely. 



From the month of October or November till March, plants 

 may be renewed easily by cuttings ; at other times it is hopeless 

 to attempt to strike them. When struck they require some care 

 in removing, for if the fresh-formed roots are at all injured the 

 young plants receive a check which they take a long time to 



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