^ 386 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



former method, the offsets should be cut off and set in sand, at a tem- 

 perature of 65° or 70°. The cuttings root slowly and the plants for a 

 time make very slow growth. The general cultural treatment is that 

 of palms. Give abundance of water in summer. 



Pansy (Fig. 244) is without doubt the most popular hardy spring 

 flower in cultivation. The strains of seed are many, each contain- 

 ing great possibilities. 



The culture is simple and the results are sure. Seed sown in August 

 or September, in boxes or a frame, will make plants large enough to 

 reset in November (three or four inches apart) and bloom the follow- 

 ing March; or they may be left until March in open seed-beds before 

 setting out. Also, if they are sown very thinly in the frames, they 

 may remain undisturbed through the winter, blooming very early the 

 following spring. The frames should be protected by mats, boards, 

 or other covering through the severe cold, and as the sun gains strength, 

 care should be taken to keep them from heaving b}^ alternate thawing 

 and freezing. Seed sow^n in boxes in January or February will make 

 fine blooming plants by April, taking the place of those blooming earlier. 



The pansy is generally mentioned with plants suitable for partial 

 shade, but it also thrives in other locahties, especially where the sun 

 is not very hot nor the weather very dry. The requisites for satisfac- 

 tory pansy culture are fertile, moist, cool soil, protection from the 

 noonday sun, and attention to keeping plants from going to seed. As 

 the ground becomes warm, a mulch of leafmold or other light material 

 should be spread over the bed to retain moisture and exclude heat. 

 Spring and fall give the best bloom. In hot summer weather the 

 flowers become small. 



Pelargonium. — To this genus belong the plants known as gera- 

 niums — the most satisfactory of house-plants, and extensively used 

 as bedding plants. No plants will give better returns in leaf and 

 flower; and these features, added to the ease of propagation, make them 

 general favorites. The common geranium is one of the few plants that 

 can be bloomed at an}'' time of the year. 



There are several main groups of pelargoniums, as the common 

 "fish geraniums" (from the odor of the foliage), the "show" or Lady 



