Culture of' Pelargoniums, 163 



be raised in the best and cheapest manner possible. Dunne 

 a period of many years, it never occurred to me that pelargo- 

 niums could be preserved during the winter months, in this 

 northern climate, without the assistance of artificial heat ; but 

 having now discovered a means of conquering this difficulty, 

 I take the liberty to lay before you a statement of the method 

 I have practised for the last three years with complete success. 

 It is necessary, in the first place, to be provided with a 

 light garden frame, which may vary in size, according to cir- 

 cumstances, or the number of plants required. The one I use 

 for this purpose at present is 4^ ft. by 2|, 20 in. deep in the 

 back, and 18 in. in front; which will contain seventy or eighty 

 plants in small pots. — The most common method of raising 

 the plants is by cuttings. In May, June, or July, I take the 

 cuttings off at the third joint, and pot them in small pots one in 

 each, in rich loam, mixed with about one third of vegetable 

 mould; I then place the frame on a south border, in a free 

 open situation, on the common soil, and put the pots in it, 

 shading them with a mat for a few days, and giving little or 

 no air for a week. I afterwards increase the quantity of 

 water gradually, giving a little more every time till they are 

 able to stand the sun without flagging in the leaf. I con- 

 tinue watering them gently until they are well rooted, and 

 then remove them into the open air, to stand, during sum- 

 mer, on a good gravel walk, or an open space covered with 

 coal ashes, to prevent worms from getting into the pots. 

 When the plants begin to grow freely, I pinch off the top 

 shoots, by which means they send out side shoots ; otherwise 

 each plant will invariably send up only one, which looks naked 

 and unsightly ; whereas, a plant low and full of foliage has 

 a handsome appearance, and flowers freely. — - Some of the 

 more tender and delicate kinds of pelargonium may be 

 propagated by cuttings of the roots an inch long. Plant these 

 round the side of the pot an inch apart, leaving the eighth 

 of an inch of soil above them. Set them in the frame, and 

 when they have pushed a little, plant them in separate pots, 

 giving air and water regularly ; when they have grown a few 

 inches, remove them into the open air, and treat them in the 

 same manner as plants raised from cuttings. — Seeds may be 

 ripened well in the open air, from plants kept in pots ; but 

 those transplanted into the borders (growing very vigorously) 

 seldom produce good seed. Sow the seed in March, in soil 

 similar to that recommended for the cuttings, adding a little 

 sand to it ; place the pots in the frame a few inches from the 

 glass, and, when about 2 in. high, plant them in separate 

 pots; let them remain in the frame till well rooted, and 



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