22 MARKET NURSERY WORK 



so many failures ? " We would hazard the opinion that in 

 too many instances it receives too much attention, which 

 amounts to " coddling," and this brave, braw, hearty plant 

 refuses to be coddled. 



lyike the majority of market plants, the Calceolaria has 

 received due attention from the hybridiser, and he has evolved 

 a magnificent strain, dwarf in habit, giant in bloom, dazzling 

 and pleasing in colour. Why, then, do some growers still 

 adhere to the strains in vogue thirty years ago ? We know not. 



To the grower for market it would simply be suicidal to sow 

 seeds of an obsolete strain just because the seeds were cheaper, 

 and he must in this, as in all his doings, rely upon the best 

 and nothing but the best. He lights somewhere upon a strain 

 that is perfect he procures it and sticks to it until he finds 

 something better. That is adamant fact. 



When the seeds of the Calceolaria are sown in June and July, 

 the pots or pans in which they are sown should stand in a 

 particularly cool, shady place. The summer heat of any glass- 

 house is too great for them a pit, or even a temporary frame, 

 facing north is far better. The seeds are of the finest, and 

 need no further covering beyond a little sand. The soil should 

 be sandy loam with a little leaf-mould, sand being essential. 

 The seedlings must be grown under the same cool, shady 

 conditions and never allowed to dry. Six weeks after 

 sowing they should be ready for pricking off, and a compost 

 similar to that in which the seeds were sown should be 

 used. In September, pot them into 6o's. At this stage, or 

 again when potting on, the compost should be fibrous loam, 

 with cow manure, a little garden refuse ashes, with sharp 

 sand. 



We must not look upon the Calceolaria as a winter-flowering 

 plant, for, being so impatient of heat, it ought never to be 

 hurried, so that if our forward plants bloom in March, that is 

 early enough. Successional plants will extend their season for 

 three months. Grow as near to the glass as possible, and if 

 on shelves the supply of sufficient water must be most carefully 

 maintained. Allow them to become dry and you extend an 

 invitation both to green-fly and disease. 



