THE MANAGEMENT OF GREENHOUSES. 
533 
are advancing their buds towards blooming, 
they want abundance of water, and to be 
placed in the part of the greenhouse least 
subject to draught, or wind. They will do 
on the general stage, and may be, for the 
sake of appearance, st-t about in diiferent parts, 
but not too near the door. They should be 
tui'ned' frequently, so that one front should 
not be better than another, and they will keep 
in flower a long time in perfection. As the 
flower goes off they begin to make their new 
growth ; they want turning daily just as much 
in this period as any, for they are shaping 
themselves, and if left to themselves witliout 
being moved, they would assuredly grow one- 
sided. In the middle of June they may be 
taken out and placed in a sheltered spot, with 
plenty of room, distantly shaded from the ex- 
treme heat of the sun ; and if there were a 
canvass house, such as tulips are gi'own under, 
nothing could be better, because they can 
have all or part of the air or sun according to 
their wants, while they can be entirely pro- 
tected from those drying winds which injure 
every tender or half-hardy subject that is 
exposed to it ; but, in the absence of this, we 
must be content with the most sheltered spot 
we can find in the garden. The ground should 
be such as the roots cannot penetrate, and the 
watering must be attended to diligently ; nor 
ought a rainy period to prevent the same atten- 
tion, for it will often be found that a bushy 
plant throws the rain entirely outside the 
pot, they therefore require examining in rainy 
weather as well as in fine. When they have 
made their growth complete, they ought to be 
placed in the coolest and driest part of the 
gai'den, and the quantity of water lessened 
considerably ; they will want only such mois- 
ture as will keep them alive, and as they do 
not absorb much while at rest, this will be 
very little. In September you may restore 
them to their places in the house, first exa- 
mining the balls of earth to see if their roots 
are matted round the sides of the pot ; if so, 
change these pots for those of a size larger. 
When the plants have done their bloom and 
are making their growth, whatever is grow- 
ing out of form should be cut off. If you 
want to propagate the Camellia, do it by 
inarching, and the Azalea by cuttings, in sand, 
under a bell-glass, and if you have it, in a 
slight hot-bed, with a little bottom heat. The 
Azalea and the Camellia grow best in loam 
(No. 2) two-thirds, peat (TSTo. 1) one-third, and 
the pot should be one-fourth, filled with crocks. 
THE CINERAEIA, VERBENA AND CALCEOLARIA. 
These plants are idle and rest in the winter 
months, but flower a considerable time when 
they begin. They require a good supply of 
water when they begin to grow, and should 
be placed near the light when their flower- 
stems rise; when they decline their bloom, 
they may be parted at their roots, or their 
side shoots taken off with or without roots ; 
if without, they should be potted and covered 
with bell-glasses, but if with roots, they may 
be placed in a shady spot in the garden, on a 
hard bottom. Strictly speaking, all three of 
them may be called frame plants, but the distinc- 
tion is not easily defined, and they do well in a 
greenhouse; they may be placed on the highest 
back shelf in September, and will seldom 
require watering ; but, in a good stock of 
Verbenas and Cinerarias, the plants need not 
be parted nor propagated, and the pots may 
be enlarged by change. Many of the plants 
will flower in winter and early spring. It is 
only the small newly made plants that need 
be put up out of sight, for anything that gives 
a flower in the winter is acceptable. Some 
of the Verbenas will be dwarf, others requii-e 
to be supported on a trellis, but the young 
ones may be turned out into the borders and 
beds in the spring to flower the whole sum- 
mer. The Calceolarias will also require sup- 
ports for their main flower-stems sometimes, 
though those are the best that support them- 
selves. The soil in which these plants thrive 
is, half loam (No. 2), a quarter cow-dung 
(No. 7), and the other quarter peat (No. 1), 
well mixed. The cuttings strike easily in 
pots filled all but an inch with the soil, and 
one ^inch of sand ; the bottom of the cuttings 
should touch the soil and go through the sand, 
but not enter the compost, though they will 
send their roots into it when they strike. To 
grow any of these large, they must have con- 
stant shifts from small to larger pots. All dead 
leaves must be removed. 
ERICA, EPACRIS, CHOROZEMA. 
This family is perhaps the most difiicult 
to manage, because so small a neglect is fatal. 
The soil in which it succeeds best is poor, at 
least, comparatively so, for it is easily destroyed 
if much excited ; the compost that answers best 
is four-fifths or parts of (No. 1) peat, and one- 
fifth or part of loam (No. 2). If it happens that 
the peat is not sandy, it may be necessary to put 
sand to it, not exceeding one part. Good turfy 
peat is, however, generally sandy enough. 
This should be well mixed together, so that 
the roots shall find all the soil alike, and not 
more loamy in one part than another. This com- 
post being comparatively poor, and very per- 
vious to water, the greatest possible attention 
is required as to the watering; and this may 
be generally applied to soils of which the 
greater part or any considerable part is peat, 
for the water runs through it quickly, and 
when it is once neglected till dry, the plant 
suffers, if' it does not die. Every time a heath 
