588 THE PLEASURE, OR [Dec. 



rate and equal degree of warmth both day and night, but must be 

 occasionally opened, or the light raised up at the higher end, to 

 admit fresh air, and to suffer the exhalations from the bed to pass 

 away, which is a very essential point. 



The earth must always be kept moderately moist, both before 

 and after the plants appear, but never wet; the best method of 

 watering it is by means of a hard clothes-brush, dipped into soft 

 water, which has had its chill taken off by standing for some time 

 in the sun or in the frame; the hair side being quickly turned 

 upwards, and the hand rubbed briskly over it, will cause the water 

 to fly olf in particles almost as fine as dew; a sufficient watering 

 may" in this manner be given in a few minutes. If it is found 

 impossible to preserve a due heat in the first bed till the seed has 

 all vegetated, it will be proper to prepare a second into which to 

 remove the box; but if there are cucumber frames, &c. at work, the 

 box may be removed into any of them that supports a good tempe- 

 rate heat. 



At the expiration of four or five weeks, if well managed, the 

 young plants will have all made their appearance; it then becomes 

 necessary to give them, very gradually, more air, in order to harden 

 and render them fit, in due time, for an entire exposure to it. In 

 the month of March the plants, if forward, should be fully exposed 

 to the open air for a few hours in the middle of mild days, when 

 the sun is not too powerful, but particularly to light warm rains. 

 As to their subsequent treatment, see the Flower Garden for April 

 and the months following. 



If you are apprehensive of the young seedlings being attacked 

 by snails, &c, which they are very subject to, place a hair band 

 round the box when you sow the seed, as directed in page 159. 



Polyanthus seed and seedlings are to be treated exactly in the 

 same manner as those of Auricula. 



Cyclamen seeds of every kind may be sown in boxes during any 

 of the autumn or winter months, even to the middle of February, 

 but when kept out of ground much later, most of them will not 

 vegetate till the spring following; they may be treated generally 

 as directed in page 418, observing always to protect them from 

 frost. The Cyclamen indicum being a hot-house plant, its seed 

 must be treated accordingly: this species differs from the others in 

 not having the divisions of the corolla or Hower reflexed or turned 

 back, but hanging down, and in the whole corolla being much larger 

 than either of the Persian or European kinds. The former kinds 

 will require no bottom heat, but should be carefully protected by a 

 good frame and glasses, well covered at night and in severe weather, 

 so as to prevent the earth in the inside from becoming frozen, but 

 more particularly after the plants appear; the latter kind must be 

 sown in a box, which is to be placed in a good hot-bed, as directed 

 for anemone seed, and constantly treated as a hot-house plant, 

 or it may be plunged in the bark-bed of any forcing department 

 and there taken proper care of. 



