1871. ] 
STANDARD PELARGONIUMS. 
133 
able health, under such conditions as I have alluded to above, provided a mean 
temperature never below 56°, and as near to 60° as is possible, is maintained, and 
those who succeed are well and amply repaid by the gorgeous and beauteous 
mass of tricoloured flowers which the blooming plant subsequently affords. 
The surest way of “ keeping stock ” of old plants, is, however, to strike 
cuttings of the young, well-ripened shoots early in summer, not to pot them over 
freely, and to induce a state of semi-rest as suggested above, but less severely. 
Let all, however, who can procure ripened seeds of this gem amongst the 
brightest of free-blooming plants sow, and treat the young plants more as a 
stove annual, pinching the young shoots back somewhat freely as they aspire to 
become too lanky, and ripening the wood well by free exposure to the sun, &c., 
and they must succeed beyond what it is often possible to do with other plants. 
The soil which is best suited to the plant, though it is not very particular when 
once started freely into growth, is a compost of one part peat, two parts fibrous 
loam, with one part made up of equal portions of well-decomposed manure, leaf- 
mould, and silver-sand. If these ingredients are fibry and moderately light, pot 
firmly ; but always so that all the water which finds its way to the ball may 
percolate freely through.— William Earley, Valentines, Ilford. 
STANDARD PELARGONIUMS. 
« ET those who want a gay conservatory in the winter months, or the amateur 
gardener who is in search of plants easy to cultivate, and which will bring 
? a liberal return of most beautiful flowers, make a selection from among 
the most vigorous-growing of the Nosegay section of Beaton’s race of 
Pelargoniums, and grow them as standards of two, three, or four feet in height; 
and if the treatment given them is within the mark, I shall be much surprised if 
the results do not induce the grower to continue their cultivation. I have 
before, both publicly and privately, advocated the above plan of growing these 
plants, because the vigorous habit of growth in most of them renders this plan a 
very suitable one, and because I can always get finer trusses of flowers on 
standards than on dwarfs, while on straight stems they look nobler and handsomer 
than dwarfs, and are more convenient, taking up less room, and allowing 
dwarf plants of other things to be grown beneath them. 
When I first commenced their cultivation, I selected the best of the first 
batch of Mr. Beaton’s seedlings sent out by Mr. W. Paul, of Waltham Cross. 
These consisted of Duchess, Amy Hogg, Alexandra , Princess Lichtenstein, Glow¬ 
worm, Blade Dwarf, Orange Nosegay, and some others. Since then I have 
added Dr. Lindley, Clipper, and Rebecca. I am not sure that all the above- 
named were Beaton’s seedlings, but they answered the purpose admirably. It is 
not necessary for me to go through their cultivation in detail; but I feel that I 
ought to state for the benefit of those who need it, that the plants should be 
propagated early in April. The most expeditious way is to put one strong 
