COOL GREENHOUSE. 109 



Coopcria. Beautiful fragrant - flowered bulbous 

 plants, natives of Texas. The only species are Drum- 

 mondi, white; and pedunculata, white, both flowering in 

 August, and growing 6in. high. 



Grow in a compost of equal parts peat, loam, leaf- 

 mould, and <coarse silver sand. Pot in January or 

 February, place in a cold frame till April, then remove to 

 the greenhouse. Give plenty of water whilst growing, and 

 none when the leaves fade. Four or five bulbs may be 

 planted in a 5in. pot. Increased by offsets. 



Cyclamen. The cyclamen here referred to is the 

 Persian Cyclamen (C. latifolium; syn. persicum), one of 

 the showiest and best of winter-flowering cool-greenhouse 

 plants. Our leading florists have now a number of most 

 beautiful strains, with brilliant colours of nearly all shades 

 of colour, as a reference to their catalogues will show. 



To ensure the best results, these plants should be prac- 

 tically treated as annuals. That is to say, they should be 

 raised from seed annually, the old plants being discarded 

 after flowering. Fill some shallow pans or boxes, or well- 

 dramed pots, with a compost of two parts loam and one 

 part of good leaf-mould, adding also a fair amount of sand. 

 Press the compost in moderately firm, then dibble the 

 seeds in a quarter of an inch deep and an inch apart. Cover 

 the surface of the soil with a thin layer of cocoanut-fibre 

 refuse, and place the pans, etc., in a temperature of 55 to 

 65 deg. Keep the soil moist. When the seedlings are 

 well up, transplant each carefully into a "thumb " pot, 

 using similar compost to that advised for seed-sowing. 

 Grow in a light position not too far from the glass, and be 

 careful to avoid over- watering and cold draughts. When 

 the small pots are filled with roots, transfer the plants to 

 Sin. pots. Spread a layer of cinders or gravel on the 

 staging, and stand the plants on this. Shade from sun- 

 shine. In July transfer to 4|in. pots, and either grow in 

 the greenhouse or in a sunny frame, shaded from bright 



