STOCKS 
49 
out.” They flower in May and June. The Perpetual or Emperor Stock 
is also vigorous and branching, about 18 inches high; it forms a good 
subject to follow on after the Brompton, as it flowers in autumn, if sown 
in March; in the ordinary way it is sown in June, and blooms a year 
later. The Giant Cape is esteemed for its immense pyramid of bloom. 
The Intermediate and the East Lothian are dwarf and bunchy, with a 
profusion of flowers, and are therefore very suitable subjects for pot- 
culture and for filling beds for an early summer display. 
Culti vation. should be borne well in mind that the Stock is a 
gross feeder, and it is well-nigh impossible to have a soil 
too rich for it The ground should be light, in a sunny position, dug 
deeply and plenty of manure incorporated with it, and top-dressings of 
half-rotted stable manure added in dry weather, when it should also be 
liberally supplied with water. The seeds of the Summer Stocks should 
be sown in pans at the beginning of March, and placed on a gentle hot¬ 
bed. As soon as fit, the seedlings should be pricked into boxes of light 
rich soil at a distance of two or three inches apart. Plenty of air must 
be given'at this stage, or the young plants may damp off. By the middle 
of May you should have nice compact dwarf plants, ready for planting 
out into beds and borders. To carry out this operation with a prospect 
of success, you must wait for a mild, showery day when the soil 
will readily adhere to the young roots. Should there be reasonable fear 
of frost at this time, some provision must be made for slightly sheltering 
the tender plants. The Winter Stocks should be sown in July in pans, 
and these put into frames without heat. When large enough they should 
be potted singly in “ thumbs,” and plunged into ashes in a cold frame. 
Late in autumn or early in spring these will want more room, and 
should then be shifted into five-inch pots. At this period it will be 
possible to distinguish between the single and double forms by paying 
attention to the following points: the doubles have very long leaves of a 
light green colour, hairy and with curled edges, the cluster of buds 
being enclosed in incurved whitish leaves; the singles, on the contrary, 
have leaves of a deeper colour, with rounded ends, and the leaves 
enclosing the flowering heart are arranged shuttlecock-fashion. Winter 
Stocks should never be placed outside to pass the winter unless the 
situation is very dry and sheltered. Damp is far more to be dreaded for 
them than frost 
Description of Here are represented four of the double forms of 
Plate 23. Matthiola annvxi, the Ten-week Stock, in various tints. 
The garden name for this species is due to the fact that from the time of 
sowing to the time of flowering is about ten (ten to twelve) weeks. 
