78 
THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
sow the seed in March, and place the seed-pans in a frame or 
greenhouse, and, as soon as the plants are well up, place the 
pans in a position where they will enjoy full exposure to the 
light, and a moderate amount of air. Prepare a bed of light 
loamy soil in a cold frame, or where it can be covered with 
lights for a few weeks in a sheltered corner, and then prick 
out the plants, as soon as they attain an inch in height, at a 
distance of not less than three inches apart. When the bed 
is filled, water liberally to settle the soil, keep close for a few 
days, and shade, to enable them to become established quickly. 
Afterwards ventilate freely, and when the weather will permit 
draw the lights off altogether. Coddling must be avoided in 
all stages, or they will be drawn up tall and lanky: a state of 
things by no means desirable. They should have no more 
protection, after they are put out in the frame, than is really 
necessary to protect them from sharp cutting winds and 
frosts. The seed-pans should not be placed in a propagating 
frame or other structure in which a high temperature is main¬ 
tained. Plant out, nine inches apart, in May, and keep a 
watch over their growth. Any of them that threaten to make 
a rank growth should be destroyed, and the gaps will soon be 
hidden. 
Mesembryanthemum. —A few of these are invaluable for 
hot dry positions, and especially for sunny slopes and odd 
places, where ordinary bedding plants would be starved, or, 
if they prospered, would be too showy. The best rule for 
growing these is to strike cuttings in July, and winter them 
in sandy soil in a sunny greenhouse, keeping them rather dry. 
The best for bedding are M. conspicuum , If. sjpectabile , If. for - 
mosiun, M. blanclum , If. glaucum , M. curvifloruin , ]\1 . auran- 
tium , M. lejpidum, If. polyantJion , M. glomeratum , M. coccineum 
major , If. diversifolium, M. inclaudens , If. jtoribundum , JLf. 
anreum. 
Nierembergia. —One sweet little plant of this family is 
useful to make miniature masses and bands of compara¬ 
tively unattractive white flowers, and especially useful to 
plant at the sides of rustic baskets, to fall over and make 
festoons and ringlets of fairy flowers. The stock for bed¬ 
ding purposes is raised from cuttings in spring; but old 
plants are best for rustic vases, and for clothing sloping 
banks. N. gracilis is the most useful; indeed, the pretty 
N. frutescens and 2V". rivularis are of no use as bedders. 
