186 
THE PELARGONIUM. 
as it is called, will, for the next two months, form an important 
item in their management. It is done by cutting or pinching 
out the terminal bud of each shoot, and its object is to increase 
the number of branches, and, consequently, that of the flowers. 
Whenever a new branch has extended three perfect joints, the 
bud in the central leaves at its apex should he talcen off, and 
from the joints beneath will be protruded other branches. Now, as 
this increase of branches causes a like increase of flowers, it should 
be repeated as often as stems are found of the length till the 
middle of April. Longer than this would throw the flowers out 
of their proper season, and is, therefore, unwise. However, if 
the plants are thriving, they will require it to be done at least 
twice or three times. 
The temperature surrounding the plants should be gradually 
increased from the time of repotting, in a manner corresponding 
with the advancement; thus, if they have been kept in a declin¬ 
ing heat through the winter, till in January it has arrived at the 
lowest point, it would be advisable to allow, say from 36° to 40°; 
immediately after this operation a gradual rise should take place, 
making 40° the minimum for the first month, running the tem¬ 
perature up in the day to 45°; and here we may point to an 
error of very frequent occurrence: many times during this part 
of the year it will be necessary to have fires in the evening to 
exclude frost, and it is too often thought that if the temperature 
is then got up above its ordinary level it will be quite right to 
allow it to descend by the power of the exterior cold, so that by 
the morning it is only a degree or two above the freezing point; this 
is a lazy practice, extremely injurious, because directly opposed 
to the nature of the plant and the laws which govern vegetation, 
for by it the plant is actually in a warmer atmosphere at night 
than in the day, a circumstance never to be observed under na¬ 
tural influences ; it is altogether better to apply just so much 
heat as will preserve them safely at night, and increase it early in 
the morning, so as to bring up the temperature to its proper level, 
allowing it to sink again towards evening ; to assist this, and 
economise fuel and time, every house should be provided with a 
stout waterproof covering, which may be let down or rolled up 
at pleasure, and frequently with only this covering fires may be 
quite dispensed with. In March and onward, 45° should in its 
