March Sowing and Planting 



tained. Gloire de Lorraine, with pink flowers, is chief 

 favourite among those bearing a profusion of small blooms, 

 and the white variety called Turiif ord Hall, too, is valuable. 

 Another class of winter Begonias bears larger and 

 showier flowers, though they are not produced quite so 

 freely as by plants of the Gloire de Lorraine type. The 

 shades of colour are chiefly pink, rose, red and orange-red. 

 A few good varieties are John Heal, Emily Clibran> 

 Winter Perfection, Ensign and Winter Cheer. 



Winter-flowering Carnations. Cuttings ought now 

 to be inserted to provide plants that will bloom next 

 spring. The growths most suitable for cuttings are those 

 found on the central portion of the stem. Cuttings of 

 Perpetual Carnations that were rooted early in the year 

 and are now in small pots may be " stopped " in other 

 words, the top of the shoots ought to be pulled out 

 to induce side shoots to form. It is usual to stop the 

 young plants twice first when they are about 6 inches 

 high, and again when fresh shoots have reached a similar 

 length but all " stopping " should be completed by the 

 middle or the end of June. As has been pointed out 

 already, cuttings of Perpetual Carnations form roots 

 most readily in boxes or pots of silver sand placed on the 

 hot-water pipes. 



Dahlias are readily increased by means of cuttings. 

 These are obtained l?y potting the old roots or by placing 

 them in boxes of soil. If the latter is kept moist they 

 will soon start into growth, and when the fresh shoots 

 are 3 or 4 inches long they are taken off and inserted 

 as cuttings. In small pots of sandy soil placed beneath 

 a handlight in the greenhouse they soon take root. It 

 then remains but to repot into slightly larger pots when 

 the smaller ones are full of roots, and to harden them 

 off gradually for planting out of doors in late May or 

 early June. Flowers of the finest quality are produced 

 by fresh plants raised annually, but those who do not 

 wish to go to this trouble may now start the old roots 



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