220 THE CYCLAMEN. 



shut np for many days in succession, as they might be dur- 

 ing a continuance of cold weather. When the foliage 

 begins to decay, water should be withheld, and discontinued 

 altogether after a few weeks. The pots may then be placed 

 in a cool, dry situation, out of direct sunshine, where they 

 can have pure air ; but the soil should never be allowed to 

 become dry as dust, or the bulb to shrivel. Some culti- 

 vators bury the bulb in the pot in the open ground ; and, 

 when uncovered in the autumn, the bulb is plump and 

 fresh. 



The cyclamen is propagated by seed. The root is a 

 solid corm, and cannot be successfully divided ; and the 

 plants sometimes obtained by taking off the little crowns 

 of old bulbs are seldom strong and healthy. The seed 

 should be gathered as soon as ripe, dried, and sown in 

 February, in shallow pots or pans, rather thinly, in a com- 

 post of peat, loam, and sand, and the pans be placed in a 

 cold frame, or on a shelf in the greenhouse, near the glass. 

 The plants soon appear, and make a leaf and a bulb as 

 large as a small pea the first year. In spring, turn them 

 out of the pots into a shady place in the garden, and let 

 them remain until September. Then pot each separately in 

 small pots, in a compost of turfy loam, leaf-mould, and 



