96 
THE FLOKIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
drawing-room I have ever seen. The Magenta is a more dense dwarf-growing 
sort, but its colour is conspicuous among the conservatory plants at that season. 
For the principal lot in autumn, at which time they can be had finest, we 
sow the seed in the end of April or beginning of May, in good-sized seed-pans, 
putting on a bell-glass to secure them from green fly and woodlice. It will be 
found, if this is not done, that, except under very favourable circumstances, 
not a plant will be seen, for woodlice, &c., will then destroy them as fast as 
they come up, and the nurseryman will be blamed for sending bad seed, whereas 
these pests have nibbled them off before they could make their first leaf. I 
may mention, in passing, that the seeds are seldom bad, for if once black and 
ripened they keep a long time. A little bottom heat, or such a place as the 
old Cockscombs or Balsams need, is generally recommended, and will bring up 
the seed in a short time; but if no bottom heat can be afforded, a warm shelf 
will answer equally well, only the seeds will be a little longer in germinating. 
When of sufficient size to handle, the most forward seedlings are put in thumb- 
pots, and the others pricked off in pots or boxes for succession. Some of them 
will show flower early, particularly if pushed on with heat, but, as before 
stated, the flowers must be pinched out as they appear; others, at a later 
stage, will show a partial comb—this must also be pinched. Where they do 
not show bloom, pinching will also be necessary to make dense uniform plants, 
bearing in mind the time at which they will be required to flower. I have 
never seen good effective plants from early sowing, nor the yellow variety, 
when so treated, assume that fine, feathery, golden tint that it does at the 
commencement of autumn and retains up to February. 
Cliveden . J. Fleming. 
CULTURE OF CELERY. 
A few remarks on some of the principal points connected with the culti¬ 
vation and management of this much-esteemed vegetable may not be out of 
place at this season, when the plants are under a course of preparation for 
future purposes. It is important, in this course of preparation, to keep in 
view that the principal care is to keep the plants constantly in a free-growing 
state, in order to guard against the tendency to run to seed, which is more 
often induced by some serious check during growth than by any other cause. 
It should be remembered that the plant is really a biennial, and would not, 
under ordinary natural conditions, flower until the second year; but, under a 
course of artificial treatment, it is started into growth much earlier than would 
be the case in a state of nature, and, when this is the case, like many other 
biennials, there is a great tendency to flower in the autumn, only to be 
counteracted by a very liberal treatment, both as regards plenty of space for 
development, and copious supplies of liquid food. That this last is an absolute 
necessity, we are taught by the fact that the native habitat of the plant is 
slimy ditches on the seashore, into which the tide constant^ ebbs and flows. 
Sowing the Seed. —For very early purposes a large seed-pan should be 
sowed very early in February, placed in a brisk heat until the seeds have germi¬ 
nated, and the seedlings gradually hardened for pricking-out; but for the general 
crop the first week in March is preferable, and the sowing should be made on a 
gentle hotbed, and kept covered until germination takes place, after which every 
opportunity of fine weather must be taken to give full exposure. Keep the surface 
of the bed moist by frequent sprinklings of water, and on no account allow the 
seedlings to remain long enough in the seed-bed to become drawn up weakly. 
This is a very common but great mistake ; it gives a check which entails a 
very considerable loss of time, besides inducing the tendency to flower. 
