ON THE CULTUEE OF THE TEEBENA FOE EXHIBITION. 
and water tliem but seldom, until tliey begin to grow. When tbey are established and inured 
to bear exposm'e in the shade, set them in a sunny exposed place. Rub off all the eyes that 
break forth except the two strongest and best placed on each shoot, and these should be as 
equal in strength as possible. When the plants get well rooted, shift them into pots two or 
three sizes larger than those they are in ; thus, if they are in five-inch pots, shift them into 
nine-inch ones. Keep them in the open ah- as long as they are safe fi-om fi'osts ; winter them 
in a greenhouse, placing them in a very light place, and giving water very seldom, so that the 
soil is often rather dry. 'When they begin to grow freely in spring, keep the house a little 
warmer than usual ; they must also have much more frequent waterings, but not so as to 
sodden the soil. Clear weak manure water shoidd be given at eveiy second watering. By 
this time the branches should be set out at equal distances, by means of small stakes, or 
strings tied to a band round the pot just below the rim ; if this is done while they are young 
they will set in the position in which they have been fixed, and staking, in the after stages of 
growth, may be very much avoided. As soon as the trasses of flowers can be discovered, pick 
out the tips of the shoots above them, which will thi-ow all the strength into the flower heads ; 
in the same way, and for the same reason, laterals shoidd be removed as soon as they can be 
detected. Plants so treated, flower in May and early in Jime. By the middle of July, they 
may be dried off, cut down, repotted, and started again as before for the next season. Plants 
cut down early in September, and ti'eated in the same way, will flower to succeed the early 
ones. They should be kept as dormant as possible in winter, and should be shifted early in 
April, and allowed to grow on to bloom. A third set may be had by stopping back some of 
the Sei3tember-cut plants in April, and deferring their shift imtil they have broken again. 
The soil for blooming should consist of three parts good loam, two parts decayed cow-dung, 
two parts leaf mould, and one part of coarse sand, and grittj' Hme rubbish mixed. In the 
earlier stages the cow-dmig may be omitted. 
The smaller growing dwarf sorts may be pruned and potted in the same way, but more 
shoots should be left, which may be stopped once or twice to produce a bushy growth, after 
which, the plants must be allowed to grow away for flowering, and require no more topping. 
They aU enjoy, and indeed require, full exposure to light. Cuttings may be readily rooted any 
time dui'ing summer, if planted in sandy compost placed in a shady border, either with, or 
without a hand-glass. — M. 
^a® 
i 
ON THE CULTURE OF THE VERBENA FOR EXHIBITION, 
By Mr. BAENES, Dane Croft Nurseries, Stowmarket. 
Verbena. Lin. from the Celtic Ferfopn.—Nai. O/'rfer, Verbenace^. 
fHE Verbena has, within the last few yeai's, become, and most deservedly so, an especial favourite, 
whether we ^'iew it as an ornament to the flower-garden, or to the exhibition ; and, although 
they may be said to flom-ish and bloom in almost any soil or situation, a Kttle more care and attention 
is necessai-y to insure them in anything approaching to perfection, and for this care they well repay 
the cultivator. It is fii'st absolutely necessary that the plants intended to produce good trusses for exhibi- 
tion, should be perfectly healthy; that is to say, they should be short-jointed, stout, and with a dark green 
fohage. In order to obtain plants of this description, I select my cuttings m Mai'ch, or April, these are 
struck in gentle heat, potted off into thi'ee-ineh pots, when rooted, and gradually inured to the chmate 
of a cold pit. At this time they receive their final shift into seven-inch pots, which should be kept as 
neai' to the glass as convenient, and frequently well watered overhead. '\^Tien the plants have been 
repotted a week or two, they should have the leaduig shoot pinched out, which causes them to push 
freely. From plants thus treated I select three or four of the best shoots, depending on the 
habit of the plants, as some will cany fom' better than others will carry tlu'ee ; these, whether three 
ior four, should be left equi-distant. The heads of bloom soon appear on these new shoots ; but if no 
exhibition is at hand, the crowns may be again pinched out, the shoots thinned, as before, only per- 
mitthig the three or four shoots to perfect themselves, and never allovsing more than these to bloom on 
