894 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



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Steady temperature of 60° to 65°, and plentifully supplied with 

 water, and placed as near the glass in the frames as possible, 

 to prevent them from being drawn up slender. The mould in 

 which they should be planted should be light, and of the 

 richest nature. The dung of an old cucumber-bed reduced to 

 mould, so as to pass freely through a coarse sieve, and having 

 lain for twelve months at least fully exposed to the action of 

 the weather, and repeatedly turned, will of itself be sufficient 

 to gi-ow tender annuals in, until they have attained nearly 

 their full size, at which time they should be shifted, for the 

 last time, into full-sized pots ; and to such rotten dung should 

 be added one-third of rich maiden loam, which will afford ad- 

 ditional support to the plants during their flowering state, and 

 will tend to cause them not only to bloom stronger, but also to 

 retain their flower much longer. During their whole growth, 

 they should be frequently watered with liquid manure at their 

 roots, and allowed plenty of room in the frames, so that they 

 may branch fully out on all sides. As these plants are of 

 short duration, it is necessary to have successional crops 

 coming on ; and, in order to have a constant supply, it will be 

 necessary to sow in February, March, April, May, and June : 

 each sowing to be in pots ; and as soon as the plants are 

 making their rough leaves, they should be potted into pots of 

 the size called small sixties, and placed into a hot-bed, on a 

 stratum of saw-dust or rotten tan, as near the glass as may be 

 judged safe at that early period. When the plants have made 

 some progress, and nearly filled the pots with their roots, they 

 should be carefully shifted into small forty-eights, and again 

 placed near the glass in the frames, and a brisk growing heat 

 kept up to them. In this way they should be kept growing 

 until their final shifting into pots of sizes corresponding to 

 the respective size of the different species of plants cultivated ; 

 balsams requiring pots ten or twelve inches in diameter; cocks- 

 combs, pots eight or nine inches, &c. During their whole 

 culture, air should be freely admitted to them when the weather 

 will permit of it ; and as the plants advance in height too near 

 the glass, the frames should be lifted up. 



