134 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-KOOTED PLANTS. 



method, graphically portrayed in his own language, as 

 follows: "In March (1884) I bought a dollar packet 

 of Gloxinia seeds, the finest strain in the market, and 

 containing no more seeds than an ordinary fifty cent 

 packet. I sowed them in a shallow seed-pan that was 

 well drained and filled with light, sandy, fine soil, and 

 kept in a warm greenhouse on a shelf near the glass. In 

 two weeks' time a good many of the seedlings were up- 

 and in about three weeks the whole crop appeared ; but 

 it was about five weeks from sowing time before I ven- 

 tured to prick them oif. Then I pricked them off singly 

 into other shallow seed pans prepared as before, and 

 afterwards, as soon as their leaves began to crowd each 

 other, transplanted them into boxes, there to remain 

 until the end of May. 



"By this time I had much frame room, and I made 

 up a hotbed, waited until the heat was on the decline, 

 then prepared it by filling in four or five inches deep 

 with light, mellow soil, as if I were going to raise a lot of 

 Stocks or Asters, and planted out my Gloxinias in it, 

 about nine inches apart each way. I have kept them 

 covered with sashes shaded with whitewash. They are 

 kept close at night, and in the daytime, according to 

 the warmness and brightness of the day, the sashes are 

 tilted up from two to six inches, but at no time do I 

 allow sunshine to get on the plants. Any dampening 

 leaf or decaying matter is removed as soon as observed/ 

 and I never water or syringe the plants overhead ; indeed, 

 any watering required is done most carefully by intro- 

 ducing the waterpot spout between the plants and under 

 the leaves. 



"During their whole life the plants have been kept 

 close to the glass, shaded from sunshine, and dry over- 

 head. These plants are to-day the middle of July 

 exceedingly strong and luxuriant, their leaves crowded 

 and overlapping each other, and they are blooming beau- 



