HERBACEOUS CALCEOLARIAS 21 



pans or boxes, fill up level with the compost, press firmly and 

 evenly, leaving a level surface, then water heavily with a fine 

 rose. When the superfluous moisture has drained away, sow 

 the seed thinly and cover lightly with fine soil, sifted, from 

 the same compost. Stand in a cool shady part of the house 

 or frame no bottom heat required and cover with some dark 

 material, like brown paper, to exclude the light. Let us say 

 here and now that Cinerarias are throughout their whole 

 growing period averse to heat. They always call for cool 

 treatment. 



A week after sowing, the seeds will germinate, and, at once, 

 the covering must be removed, and they must have light and 

 air. A fortnight after this (or shall we say three weeks ?) the 

 seedlings will be large enough to handle and, being peculiarly 

 susceptible to " damping off," they should be pricked out as 

 soon as possible, allowing each plant about 2 inches of space in 

 which to develop. In another month they should be large enough 

 to meet trade orders for seedlings, a portion being potted into 

 6o's to meet the demand for them in that form. Those required 

 for selling as flowering plants will eventually find themselves 

 in 48*8, a very handy market size. As we shall be treating 

 of this size plant in a later volume we will not enlarge upon 

 it here. 



The young plants must, we repeat, be grown cool. The 

 greenhouse in summer is no place for them ; they prefer the 

 cold frames, which, for them, should slope to the north. The 

 leaf-mining maggot and the green fly will devour them unless 

 this treatment is given, and, as the latter is a most determined 

 enemy, a daily syringing, as a preventive, is more than desirable. 



HERBACEOUS CALCEOLARIAS 



Here we have another one of those spring greenhouse plants 

 that is impatient of heat. Provided that it is protected against 

 frost, the cooler it is grown the better it is. Requiring more 

 attention than most of the plants we are now treating of, it 

 is not such a simple matter to cultivate it from seedling to 

 flowering plant, otherwise we might be tempted to ask, " Why 



