292 THE FLORIST AND 



walks &c, would not prevent the evil, because evaporation from the ground 

 is not the chief source of moisture. 



By a judicious arrangement of the sources of artificial heat and proper exit 

 flues near the floor, but connected with chimneys, the proper amount of dry- 

 ness and circulation of the air could be secured at all seasons. 



Inside walls, particularly of massive stone buildings, from the before men- 

 tioned cause, are subject to sweating, and this may be prevented by a little 

 fire, as in the United States Patent office, where a furnace sends up heated 

 air at all times. Museums and libraries should be protected from mould in 

 the same manner. 



GESNERA ZEBRINA AND GERARDIANA. 



Like the Achimenes picta, to which they are closely allied, these magnifi- 

 cient stove plants are ever welcome in or out of flower. When well done, 

 few plants have a richer appearance than the 6r. zehrina, with leaves of 

 the richest velvety green, and elegant zebra-like markings, gracefully droop- 

 ing downwards over the pot ; it is always, while in a growing state, a 

 splendid object ; when the flowers are rising perpendicularly in long pani- 

 cles from the centre of each stem, and in high cultivation, often from the 

 axils of the leaf, with colors of deep red and orange, it is a grand object. 



The G. gerardiana is a variety of the other without its zebra markings, 

 leaves velvety with several tints of light green ; it is somewhat more robust 

 in habit, with flowers similar in color. It is good as a variety in foliage, 

 and is somewhat more easily grown than the original type. 



There is not much difficulty in getting it to flower at any season of the 

 year, by starting it at different times, but it is as an autumn and winter 

 blooming plant, it is mostly admired. It has large scaly under-ground tu- 

 bers similar to the Achimenes, which increase sufficiently fast to make it 

 unnecessary to resort to other methods of reproduction. 



For autumn and winter flowering, early in March, prepare pots, or pans of 

 light porous soil, filled to within three inches of the top, place the tubers 

 pretty thick on this, and cover with two inches of soil ; give the whole a 

 watering to settle down the soil, after which, they should receive but little 

 water till they commence growing. They now require to be placed in a 

 warm growing atmosphere of 60 or 65 degrees ; if a slight bottom heat, so 

 much the better. 



As soon as the plants have made two or three inches of growth, they 

 should be shaken out of their pots, parted, and repotted into three-inch 



