THE IXIA AND ALLIED PLANTS. 
15 
We mention this then prominently here, be- 
cause we shall have occasion to recommend 
the use of pits as very appropriate and econo- 
mical situations for them during the period of 
their growth. Ixias may, however, be grown 
in a warm sheltered border in the open 
ground. 
CULTURE IN THE GREENHOUSE. 
We will commence with the bulbs in a state 
of rest. When in this state they are to be 
kept quite dry, being allowed to remain in the 
soil exactly as they were growing. A dry 
shelf, at the back part of the greenhouse, is a 
very suitable position for them, when in this 
state ; and they require no other care than 
to be kept dry until the time of potting 
them. 
The time for potting may depend on cir- 
cumstances. Where there are more than a 
very few roots, it would he desirable not to 
pot them all at once, as, by a little variation 
of the time of doing this, and of exciting them 
into growth, a longer succession of flowers 
will be secured. About the latter end of Oc- 
tober may be considered as the general time 
for potting the roots, and starting them into 
growth, so as to come into bloom, according 
to their respective habits, in the April and 
May following. Some may be potted and 
excited a month earlier, and others a month 
later ; and although, in consequence of the 
different periods at which the plants will be 
making their growth, there may not, and pro- 
bably will not be exactly this difference in the 
time of flowering, yet this plan will have the 
effect of prolonging the flowering period of 
these gay and beautiful plants. 
The manner of potting is thus : — Turn out 
the dry soil containing the bulbs from the old 
pots, and carefully separate from it all the 
bulbs and offsets ; the strongest of the roots 
are then to be selected for blooming ; while 
the rest are to be grown as store-roots to 
increase the stock, and come in for blooming 
in another year. The most convenient sized 
pots to use are five-inch ones, in which three 
or four strong bulbs, or five or six of but 
moderate strength, may be planted. Smaller 
pots than these — three-inch ones — will do for 
the very small growing kinds, about three roots 
of which may be planted in them. The roots 
should be placed at equal distances apart, and 
near the edge of the pots. A suitable mix- 
ture for them may be made by incorporating 
equal parts of turfy peat soil of a sandy nature 
and friable rather sandy loom ; to this about 
a fourth of the whole of decayed leaves quite 
rotted into mould may be added : this mix- 
ture should be used in medium state, between 
wet and dry — wet enough to adhere slightly 
when pressed, but dry enough to fall to pieces 
again when dropped on the potting bench. 
The pots must be thoroughly drained, because, 
when the plants are growing, they require a 
good deal of water. The bulbs should be 
placed so as to be about an inch or rather 
more beneath the surface. When the potting 
is finished, the pots may be set on any of the 
shelves in the greenhouse, where they are 
most out of the way, and here they may re- 
main until they commence growing : when 
growth is perceived they should be brought to 
some of the front stages, where they will be 
sure to obtain plenty of light, and be more 
within sight. 
Very little water should be applied after 
potting until growth commences, for the ap- 
plication of much water at the time when the 
bulbs are dormant, especially as it would be 
during the winter season, could hardly fail to 
be injurious. What is wanted by the roots 
when they are brought under excitement, is a 
very moderate degree of moisture, increased 
in quantity gradually as they become influenced 
by it, and put out roots and shoots ; if the 
soil is in the proper medium state, they will 
almost derive this supply from it, and espe- 
cially if means are taken to prevent it from 
rapidly drying by evaporation, which may be 
readily done either by laying a flat piece of 
glass on the top of the pot, or covering the 
soil with a layer of very slightly damped moss, 
either of which may be removed if the weather 
is damp, and the covering appears to favour 
mouldiness, which will be readily detected. 
There is another advantage in employing a 
flat piece of glass besides its preventing the 
evaporation of moisture : where there are any 
mice they not unfrequently rout up and even 
eat and destroy the roots, and this covering of 
glass prevents these busy little creatures from 
intruding. By the time it is found that the 
bulbs are throwing out roots, which will gene- 
rally, or, at least, ought to, precede the protru- 
sion of leaves, moderate applications of water 
may be given ; and the gradual increase of 
these supplies, as the plants progress, is all the 
special attention required until the flower stems 
are produced. It may, perhaps, be necessary 
to give a caution, that this gradually increasing 
supply of water is never to be carried to the 
point of saturating the soil: this, in fact, should 
be held as a standing rule in the growth of 
all potted plants which are not absolutely of 
an aquatic nature. The stress which is laid 
upon attention to the operation of watering, 
as the plants approach a flowering state, must 
rather be understood as implying the neces- 
sity of more and more cautiously preventing 
the soil from becoming dry. In order to 
secure this condition, more frequent supplies 
will be needed in the same ratio as the seasons, 
as well as the plants, progress. 
