JANUARY. 
3 
duration extends from October till the end of December, and may be con¬ 
tinued to a later date by a slight application of fire heat. I observe that your 
contemporary, the Gardeners Chronicle , is beginningto ventilate this subject; 
and I feel certain that by this advocacy and that of the Florist and 
Pohologist converts will increase. I have practised autumn flowering for 
two seasons, and can therefore speak with the greatest confidence. 
Very little requires to be said on the subject of cultivation, as with the 
most limited means this can be managed with ordinary care. When young 
plants are yearly employed, they should be rooted by the beginning of 
September, and shifted into five-inch pots by November. Now allow the 
plants to rest till the end of March; in the interim give an abundance of 
air, and just as much water as will keep the foliage healthy. By the 
beginning of April a transfer into a larger pot will be necessary, at the 
same time pinching off the extreme points, to cause the production of side 
shoots; these again to be manipulated upon in the same way about the 
middle of June; and thus, by attention to tying out the branches, the cul¬ 
tivator will be enabled to lay the foundation of a large plant. For the last 
shift, a pot 8 inches in diameter will be found sufficient, as one of the 
principal objects to be attained, and which will contribute greatly to an 
abundance of flower, is confined roots. Until the middle of September 
every flower-stem should be removed as soon as it appears, and the neglect 
of this precaution will reduce the strength of the plant. At no period 
must the plants be exposed, but be kept constantly under glass, and shaded 
from strong sunshine. The soil which I use is light loam, mixed with a 
third part of cow-manure, a year old, such as we employ for growing 
Balsams. 
Tortworth Court. A. Cramb. 
CYCLAMEN PERSICUM. 
These delightful winter and spring-flowering plants are particularly 
attractive just now, and come in very usefully with Ericas hyemalis, for- 
mosa, &c., Primulas, and other early-flowering plants, to make a little 
display at this dull season of the year. Last August I brought with me 
from the north two small plants that had recently been potted into 60-sized 
pots in a sandy peat soil, mingled with leaf mould. Occupying an airy 
window with a south aspect, they have grown nicely, and are now blooming 
freely. One has more crimson in the “ eye,” as it is termed, than the 
other; but there is a marked difference in the character of the foliage, the 
one having the leaves prettily blotched with a greyish white, whilst those 
of the other are quite plain. VvTien the foliage is thus marked, as in the 
case of the former, they are still useful decorative plants, even when not 
in bloom. 
The varieties of Cyclamen persicum are generally denominated the 
greenhouse kinds, and they vary in colour from snow white to delicate 
peach or light rose and rich rosy crimson, and some, again, are pure white 
upon a purple base, many of the latter being delightfully fragrant. 
After the bulbs have done flowering in the greenhouse they should be 
placed in a cool, shady border for a period of rest. They should be screened 
from wet and from sunlight, for they require repose, not excitement. In 
the autumn they should be carefully repotted in peaty soil, and replaced in 
the greenhouse—a shelf near the glass is a good position—and there started 
