DECEMBER. 



183 



Another important point is the selection of promising young plants, for if 

 plants which have been kept in small pots until their roots are much pot- 

 bound and covered with small lumps are used, it will be very difficult to get 

 these to make free vigorous growth : therefore such plants as are well 

 established without being pot-bound, and with nice, clean, healthy-looking 

 foliage and strong short-jointed shoots, should be chosen. Persons in- 

 tending to commence the culture of any of the varieties should procure their 

 plants as soon as convenient, and winter them near the glass in a cool house 

 or pit. 



Towards the beginning of March will be early enough to try to start the 

 plants into free growth ; then examine their roots, and if the ball is moderately 

 covered with healthy active roots, repot into pots 2 or 3 inches wider than 

 those in which they have been wintered. Then place them near the glass 

 where they will be free from draughts, and where a temperature of from 40 9 

 to 55° is maintained by day and 40° to 45° at night. Syringe them gently 

 overhead on the afternoons of bright days, and sprinkle the paths, &c, as may 

 be necessary to secure a moist state of the atmosphere. After repotting spread 

 out the shoots nicely, bringing the stronger ones down towards the pot as 

 much as can be done with safety, so as to secure, as far as possible, the strongest 

 growths to form the lower part of the plant; and as the plants progress in 

 growth attend frequently to stopping any over-luxuriant shoots, and keeping 

 the wood nicely distributed so as to make the plants grow into the desired 

 form. As the weather becomes warmer and the plants begin to grow freely, 

 the temperature may be allowed to range 10° higher, but a little air should 

 be admitted at night when this can be done without the temperature falling 

 below 45°, and air should be given freely when the day temperature rises 

 above 55 w , always taking care, however, not to allow drying currents to pass 

 over the plants ; and when the sun becomes powerful a thin shade during the 

 middle of the day, or from ten o'clock to four, should be used, and then the 

 plants will be benefited by being dewed over two or three times a- day with 

 the syringe. If all goes well a second shift will probably be necessary early 

 in July, and this should be given as soon as it may be required, so that the 

 plants may get well established in their pots early in autumn. The plants 

 should have got fairly rooted into the fresh soil by the middle of August, and 

 should then be removed to the greenhouse or gradually exposed to a freer 

 circulation of air for about a fortnight, when they should be placed in a 

 sheltered shady situation out of doors, where they should remain as long as 

 the weather is favourable. While they are out of doors care must be used to 

 prevent the balls getting saturated by heavy rains, and they should be placed 

 in their winter quarters before there is any danger of their being injured by 

 cold stormy weather or frost. The best situation for them during the winter 

 is near the glass in an ordinary greenhouse. The plants should receive similar 

 treatment the second season to that recommended for the first, when those 

 that have done w r ell will be nice-sized specimens and suitable for conservatory 

 decoration or for exhibition work, save where monster specimens are required. 

 The weaker-growing varieties, even after it may not be desirable to increase 

 the size of the specimens, will require rather close treatment after cutting-back 

 until they make a moderate growth ; but the stronger-growing kinds, as 

 varium nana, Lawrenceana, &c, when only wanted to make sufficient growth 

 to bloom upon, may be placed in a sheltered shady situation out of doors as 

 soon after having been cut-back as they have fairly started into growth ; but 

 while here they must be protected from heavy rains. 



The soil which I have found the most suitable for these is two parts of 

 good, dark, hard, fibrous peat, and one part rich, brown, fibrous peat. These 



