114 -MISCELLANEOUS EXHIBITIOX PLANTS. 



PELAKGONIUM. 



When well grown, these form some of the showiest of spring 

 and early summer exhibition specimens. The varieties are 

 extremely numerous, but the following dozen includes some of 

 the best show, fancy, and regal sections : — Achievement, Beauty 

 of Oxton, Brilliant, Captain Raikes, Dr. Mastei-s, Exquisite, 

 Mis. Harrison, Mrs. Mathers, Penelope, Queen Victoria, 

 Triumph, and Volonte Nationale alba. They grow well in 

 three pax'ts of fibry loam to one of leaf-mould, with a sprink- 

 ling of decayed manure, bone-meal, wood-ashes, and sand, 

 using a little coarse silver sand for the weak-growing varieties. 

 An airy place near the glass in the greenhouse is the best for 

 them, and the growth should be tied out and pinched, so as to 

 furnish the plant all over with shoots of equal length and 

 strength. They should be regularly fed with various kinds 

 of liquid manure previoiis to flowering, and fumigated often 

 to keep down greenfl}'. After flowering, the plants should 

 be placed in the open air, and kept moderately dry, to ripen 

 them. They should then be cut close down, watered, and 

 placed in a close frame, to start them about half an inch, 

 when they should be re-potted, and air given freely to promote 

 sturdy growth, to flower the following spring. The points of 

 merit are : (1.) Size, form, and condition of the plant ; (2.) size, 

 quality, and quantity of the flowers. 



PETUNIA. 



This is a very showy plant when well cultivated, and is 

 admirably suited, from its character and habit of growth, 

 for growing into a shapely exhibition specimen. Some of 

 the best double and single varieties are Arlequin, Derviche, 

 Louis Ratisbonne, Marc Alban, Panama, and Phoebe. To 

 obtain fine plants with large flowers, they must be young, as 

 old plants very soon lose their freshness and size of flower. 

 They grow very rapidlj', and cuttings early rooted may be 

 grown into good plants the same season, but summer cuttings 

 grown into stubby plants before winter make the best plants 

 for autumn shows. After the cuttings are well rooted, they 

 should be potted in light rich soil with leaf-mould and sharp 



