212 
BEDDING PLANTS. 
more space; and, as a good supply of autumn-struck plants is 
of the first consequence for filling the beds early in spring, I 
seldom strike many in March, preferring greatly the older plants. 
These considerations lead me to place about a dozen cuttings in 
a four-inch pot, and thus let them remain throughout the winter, 
the pot being nearly filled with leaf-mould and loam, and the 
surface covered with sand. They root freely in a cold frame, ge¬ 
nerally occupying about a fortnight, after which they stand in a 
sunny place out of doors till it becomes necessary to guard them 
from frosts ; a shelf, suspended from the roof of the greenhouse, 
then receives them, and here they stand, close to the glass, and 
in a strong current of air when the house is ventilated, perfectly 
safe till the following March, when they are topped and repotted; 
after which they are encouraged to grow in a close frame or pit, 
and so make large, strong plants, to turn out in May. The 
losses seldom average a tenth, and this success I attribute to the 
ripening of the young plants in autumn, or rather to the pre¬ 
vention of new growths at that time, and their indurated con¬ 
dition in winter, induced by the strong light and abundance of 
air received in the position described. 
Petunias require precisely the same treatment; and, as these 
plauts are very liable to injury from mildew, particular care 
should be taken to afford them plenty of air. In the event of a 
choice variety being attacked, however, the remedy is of an 
opposite character; it should be placed in a gentle heat, and, 
though the bottom may be quite dead, the points of the branches 
will grow, and may then be taken off and struck. The young 
plants so obtained must be continued in heat, and require much 
nursing. 
Very useful, vigorous plants may be obtained by sowing a pan¬ 
ful of seed at the time the cuttings are put in. These come up 
in a month, and remain small till about February, when a very 
little stimulus will set them into a most active growth. 
Shrubby calceolarias can only be provided in quantity by 
securing cuttings now; the lateral shoots of two or three inches 
in length are the best, and these should be set rather thickly 
into a pan of sandy loam. It is probable they will not strike till 
the following spring, but a shelf like that of the verbenas keeps 
