80 
THE PANSEY. 
ing air ; one end of the board is to be placed on the ground on 
the sunny side of the plant, and the leg being thrust a little into 
the ground will bring the upper edge of the board completely 
over the flower, and thus guard it also from wet. A dozen such 
shades may be made by any one in half an hour, and they have 
the advantage of being inexpensive, and when painted look neat, 
and last a long time. Blooms having crumpled petals or irregular 
in colour, should be removed as tending only to weaken the 
plants unnecessarily ; and as guard to the roots, slices of potatoes 
or turnips should be buried in the earth as a trap for wire-worms — 
frequent examination will prove their efficacy in this respect; 
and slugs, caterpillars, or other creeping things must be con¬ 
stantly sought for and destroyed. Propagation must be so 
regulated, that a sufficient number of plants may always be in 
hand to form a new bed in each month, which will produce the 
most perfect flowers in the succeeding one; and as the chief 
point is to get blooms from young specimens, it is not advisable 
to let any stand beyond two months or till such time as they have 
produced one crop of flowers, and the cuttings necessary to the 
succession. Following this course through the summer ensures 
a supply of good flowers at all times, in number of course pro¬ 
portionate to the amount of stock, in September, provision 
must be made for the winter store intended to bloom in April and 
May of the succeeding year: these are to be potted as soon as 
struck, putting each plant by itself into a sixty-sized pot filled 
with sandy loam. It is essential that the soil be as pure as possible, 
altogether free of manure, and made so porous by the addition 
of sand as to permit the immediate escape of superfluous water; 
such earth, however, requires but little water in dull weather, 
and hence its principal recommendation, for panseys are very 
subject to injury from damp resting about the neck of the plant. 
Until the arrival of frost, they are better in the open air, but as 
soon as it occurs with any degree of severity, remove them to 
frames, where they are to stand through the remainder of the 
winter; and while here they must be carefully guarded from all 
extremes : wet and cold are their greatest enemies, without we 
include too much nursing,—this is certainly not less dangerous 
than either of the others; to avoid this error, admit all the air 
possible at all times when not freezing severely, tilting the lights 
