By Joseph Sabine, Esq. 



2;W 



maiden earth to the soil, when they are to be continued in 

 the same spot. As they are liable to much damage from 

 wind, they should be carefully tied to stakes as they grow. 

 The seedling plants thus treated, will blow in July, and con- 

 tinue in perfection till the autumn, but the first frost injures 

 their foliage and the beauty of the flowers, which may, how- 

 ever, be preserved somewhat longer, by moving the smaller 

 plants, with balls of earth, into large pots, and keeping them 

 under cover in the green-house, or conservatory. 



Until a seedling plant shows its flowers, there are no means 

 of ascertaining its value ; the stems of those which produce 

 dark flowers, are in general brown or a dark purple, whilst 

 the paler flowers grow on plants with lighter, and the white 

 flowering ones with perfectly green stems ; but, I conceive, 

 that even these distinctions are not constant. The proper 

 time to judge of the full merit of the flowers, and conse- 

 quently to select the plants is the morning, for the sun in- 

 jures the brilliancy of the flowers; and the summer flowers 

 are much superior in beauty to those produced later in the 

 season ; though perhaps in September and October, before 

 any frost comes, the quantity of flowers which are then in blow 

 at once, makes the show of that period the most splendid. 



In the selection of the varieties, the fancy and taste of the 

 cultivator, must be the only guide in the choice of colours, 

 and the character of the flowers; the other points to be 

 attended to, are the disposition to blow freely, and the 

 having short peduncles, on which the flower stands boldly 

 and well expanded to the view ; these properties generally 

 belong to plants which grow compact and close, and not 

 rambling. 



