HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 89 



freezing point— -they will be but just coming into flower. Great care is -re- 

 quisite at this period, and it will be as well in this place to recommend to the 

 novice the reperusal of an excellent paper on their management, in a recent 

 number of this journal. The Rhododendron will require pretty touch the 

 same treatment. If some of these are required to flower early next season, 

 they should be taken now, their flower buds-thinned, placed in a higher tem- 

 perature, in a light place, and every encouragement given them to grow and 

 ripen their shoots early ; on this will depend much of the success of forcing 

 Azaleas and Rhododendrons. The Camellia is very apt to be infested with 

 the red spider at this season ; its ravages are soon seen in the whitish-brown 

 lines it marks on the leaves. While the plants are growing, a vigorous use 

 of the syringe will be of much service, and help to keep down their enemies. 

 As soon as the young growth shows signs of maturing, a syringing of com- 

 mon soapsuds will destroy the spider and not injure the plant. Cactuses 

 should also be watched for the same pests, and the same remedy applied. — 

 The fine old kinds, C. speciosissimus, C. Jenkinsonii, &c, seem to have been 

 given up" pretty generally into the hands of cottagers and window gardeners ; 

 but there were few more beautiful ornaments of our greenhouses when " we 

 were boys." 



Next month will be the Cineraria season. The improvements of the last 

 few years have deservedly placed this tribe in the lead of spring beauties ; — 

 those who wish to excel in their culture must keep them carefully staked out 

 and placed as near the glass as possible to keep them dwarf ^and stocky; — 

 they should also have two weekly doses of manure water, carefully guarding 

 it from being too strong. All plants, in fact, destined as specimens, must be 

 constantly kept staked out ; and the soft-wooded kinds receive occasional 

 doses of liquid manure. Verbenas, to be grown in pots, should never be al- 

 lowed to become "pot-bound;" to get good specimens of these requires pretty 

 large pots. In potting all soft-wooded things, above all aim at keeping the 

 soil open — turfy loam is essential to good pot culture; where loam not turfy 

 has to be used, I would add a portion of chopped hay Or straw with it as a 

 substitute. Dahlias that have been lately "started" will require "striking 

 off" as soon as the shoots are a few inches high. If a large number of plants 

 are desired, and a slight bottom heat can be commanded, these shoots may 

 be merely slipped off, put into small pots singly, and thus struck; but if only 

 a few of each are wanted, the best plan is to turn out the whole root as soon 

 as a good number of shoots have pushed, and divide them so that a portion 

 of the root remains with each shoot. 



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