THE CINERARIA. 23 



therefore advisable to destroy all the phiiits that have 

 served their j)urpose as decorative objects. The seed 

 should be sown as soon as rijse, or as soon after as possible. 

 It will, however, keep to the following spring, but after 

 a year has passed from the time of gathering it is worth- 

 less. It should be sown in shallow pans tilled with 

 light, sandy soil, and should be very slightly covered. In 

 places where great numbers of cinerarias are grown to 

 produce seed for sale, no trouble is taken to sow seeds 

 for ordinary st(jck. The handsome plants are kept in 

 j)its on a flooring of clean coal-ashes, and in the course 

 of gathering the seed, a certain quantity falls, or is blown 

 about and lost for a season. But the loss is soon com- 

 pensated for by the appearance of innumerable seedling 

 plants on the ground amongst the pots, and these are 

 lifted when large enough, and then receive the needful 

 care to render them worthy to maintain the stock. 



AVlien offsets are wanted, the flower-stems must be cut 

 down, and the plants must be put out-of-doors and taken 

 care of ; and when the offsets appear they must be care- 

 fully removed, and should have the same kind of nursing 

 as seedling plants. We have obtained offsets in great 

 plenty by planting the selected specimens in Iteds of light, 

 rich soil, in an airy pit. They are turned out without 

 damage, and the fresh soil promotes production of offsets. 



The magnificent specimen plants that are seen at the 

 spring flower shows are invariably grown from offsets. 

 There are, at least, two reasons for this course of procedure. 

 In the first place the grower knows what sort of flowers he 

 will have, and may select according to taste and know- 

 ledge ; whereas when we grow seedling plants we do not 

 know what the flciwers will be until they actual]}' appear. 



