9o8 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



convenient to pursue. The seeds^ which usually take about 

 eighteen to twenty days to germinate, should be sown about the 

 end of January in a pan of soil, and submerged in water of the 

 temperature already given. As soon as the seedlings are large 

 enough to handle, they should be transferred singly into small 

 pots, and when necessary shifted into larger ones containing good 

 rich soil. The pots should be so submerged that the crowns of 

 the plants are only a few inches below the surface of the water, 

 increasing the depth as the plants grow stronger. Another plan 

 sometimes adopted, and which has been attended with good 

 results, is to place the seeds directly in the mound of soil in 

 which it is purposed to establish them. • If the former 

 method is adopted, the plant selected will be sufficiently strong 

 by the end of March to remove to the tank in which it is to 

 grow. 



The soil, composed of two parts stiff loam and one part well- 

 decomposed cow manure, having been prepared for its reception, 

 the plant should be firmly fixed in the centre of the heap of 

 soil with the crown about i8in. below the surface of the water. 

 It delights in abundance of sunlight, therefore the house should 

 not be shaded in any way, nor should the temperature be allowed 

 to vary much, as this would be injurious and check growth. The 

 temperature of the house should never be allowed to fall below 

 75deg., and during mild weather ventilation should be freely 

 afforded and the plant occasionally syringed during the day.' 

 When the leaves have attained about 2ft. in diameter, the 

 edges on a strong, healthy plant begin to turn up, the 

 depth of margin increasing according to its vigour ; 

 this is a characteristic that - is never so marked in a plant 

 of less robust health. Towards the end of June, provided the 

 plant has made good progress, it should have reached its full 

 size and flowering stage, when ample ventilation should be given. 

 It produces a new leaf on an average about every three days : 

 therefore it will be obvious that some of them will have to be 

 removed to prevent overcrowding ; this is best done as soon as 

 they appear, only reserving those that are required to replace 

 old ones that have become imperfect. For the benefit of the 

 plant the old flowers should also be removed, unless it be 

 desired to save seeds, in which case an early flower or two 

 should be selected for that purpose, and should be artificially 

 fertilised. It is noteworthy that shortly before the fruit is matured 

 the peduncle rapidly elongates to several feet, a means provided 

 by Nature for the distribution of the seeds. Each fruit contains 

 numerous round, brownish-green seeds, about the size of an 

 ordinary garden pea, and these take about ten weeks to ripen. 

 Before reaching maturity they should be enclosed in a muslin 

 bag to secure them when the fruit bursts. When this occurs, the 

 seeds should be taken from the bag, put in a jar filled with 



