ON THE CYCLAMEN. 
87 
necessarily massive peduncles taking too much strength out of the 
roots. 
Striped and spotted varieties of a permanent type have not as 
yet, I believe, been achieved, the variegation has been partial, not 
decided, and it is not by any means the same in different seasons 
and under different conditions; with a damp, close atmosphere, some 
plants will spot more readily than others. It has also been ob¬ 
served that some plants bloom earlier in the season than others, 
and this character appears to be permanently attached to them. 
A few words in conclusion on the subject of the artificial fertilisa¬ 
tion of the flowers. For this delicate operation we must first have a 
favourable day, not too early in the season, lest the pods damp off* 
■which they are liable to do if the cross is effected earlier than 
February. A bright sunny day is best, when the pollen seems to 
possess more fertilising power, being doubtless affected by a more 
or less humid state of the atmosphere. In Nature it is doubtful if 
the fertilisation of Cyclamen is, as a rule, effected by bees or 
insects, for there seems to be a natural tendency on dry days for 
the pollen sheath to burst and scatter the minute particles in the 
air, where they float with the breeze, and may easily be observed 
if a plant be shaken in a darkened room into which a ray of sunlight 
is admitted, and as the smallest particle of pollen coming into contact 
with the stigma of the seed-bearing plant is quite sufficient to 
secure fertilisation, it will readily be seen that when it is desired 
to operate artificially, the seed-bearing plant must be moved away 
from all the rest, the flower should not have been more than one 
day open, as in spite of the utmost care insect visitors may possibly 
have been before you, and spoilt all your nice calculations. It 
is undesirable to fertilise more than six or eight flowers on any 
one plant, the rest should be cut off so that the full vigour of the 
plant may be concentrated upon the seeds, and in proportion, so 
will they be plump and full, and afford fine vigorous young 
seedlings. 
Finally, I must just allude to nomenclature. Numerous beauti¬ 
ful seedlings, the results of patient experiments, are being brought 
up from time to time to our spring shows, and we are delighted 
at their appearance, but it is a pity that botanical names should 
be attached to them as though they were new species. They 
are nearly all varieties of C. persicum, and it would be far better 
if such improved strains should receive florists’ names, which 
are quite distinctive and do not confuse the student. 
