PELARGONIUM. 3G1 



in March, in light soil, with a light covering only, and placed 

 in gentle heat. The seeds will soon germinate, and should 

 then be subjected to greenhouse temperature, with full ex- 

 posure to the light ; in this stage fierce sunshine must be 

 excluded from them, and watering must be performed with 

 great care to prevent them from damping off. When two or 

 three leaves have been made, pot them singly into small pots, 

 and keep them near the glass. As the pots become filled 

 with roots they must be shifted into larger ones, and receive 

 the same treatment as the other kinds. They should stand 

 out-doors through the summer, in order to thoroughly ripen 

 their wood, and ensure their flowering well the following 

 spring. If sown as soon as the seed ripens in summer, they 

 will flower at an earlier stage of growth, if kept fairly pro- 

 gressing through the winter months. 



To increase the varieties already known, cuttings should 

 be put in at any time from the beginning of July to the end 

 of August, either in pots in the propagating house, in a cold 

 frame, or even in the open ground. When they are rooted, 

 they may be either potted singly, several in a pot, or if great 

 quantities are required the cuttings should be put into long 

 shallow boxes, properly drained, and in this way vast numbers 

 of the Zonal section can be kept during the winter in a 

 comparatively small space, and this economy of space may 

 sometimes be of importance. The Zonal section contains 

 many beautiful varieties which are unequalled for autumn and 

 winter flowering, and which should be grown specially for 

 this purpose. 



Of the sections denominated " Show " and " Fancy " 

 Pelargoniums, the earliest flowering plants should be 

 pruned close down about the end of June or beginning 

 of July, the succession plants about the middle of August. 

 For about a fortnight after this, little water must be given, 



