HOTHOUSE. 89 



to two feet high, and Succeeding in pots or hanging 

 baskets. They are exceedingly showy plants, and by no 

 means difficult to grow by those who can command the 

 necessary heat. They make their growth during spring 

 and summer, gradually lose their foliage in autumn, and 

 remain dormant during the winter. 



The small scaly tubers require to be planted an inch 

 apart and half an inch deep in shallow boxes or pans rilled 

 with a compost of equal parts of leaf -mould and loam, with 

 a fair amount of sand. Do this in February or March in a 

 temperature of 65 to 70 deg. When the shoots are an inch 

 or so high, transplant the tubers two to three inches apart 

 in Gin. or Sin. pots, 12in. pans, or in hanging baskets, 

 using a compost of two parts of good fibrous loam and one 

 part of equal proportions of leaf-mould, well-rotted manure, 

 and silver sand. If to be grown in baskets, line the 

 interior with moss, place the young plants at intervals of 

 two or three inches round the sides and through the moss, 

 gradually fill up with compost, and plant others on the 

 top. As soon as the shoots are four to six inches high nip 

 off the points to cause side growths to form. Keep in the 

 same temperature, water freely as growth proceeds, give 

 weak liquid manure once or twice a week, and when the 

 shoots are eight inches high, support them with stakes. 

 As soon as the plants come in flower remove to a cooler 

 house. After flowering, gradually withhold water, and 

 when the foliage has faded, either store the pots on their 

 sides in a warm house till spring, or remove the tubers 

 and store them in silver sand in a similar place till 

 repotting time. Easily increased by seeds sown in a 

 temperature of 65 to 75 deg. in spring, to flower the next 

 season. The tubers multiply very rapidly. 



As regards species, the best are: Coccinea, scarlet; 

 longiflora, violet; longiflora alba, white; longiflora major, 

 violet; grandiflora, scarlet; and patens, violet. Showy 

 varieties are: Admiration, purple; Alba maxima, white; 

 Aurora, red ; Firefly, crimson ; Margarita, white ; Ambrose 



