ON THE CALCEOLARIA AS A CONSERVATORY ORNAMENT. 
69 
and an observer placed at the equator, if his organ of sound were delicate enough, would hear the 
peals of thunder continually. There can be no doubt, at the present day, that the carbonate of am¬ 
monia is the most active agent of vegetation, and without which all the others would be useless; but 
this carbonate is gaseous, and, for this reason, cannot be employed directly by the cultivator, who, 
were he to try to create an atmosphere of the carbonate of ammonia under his ground, would spend a 
great deal of money without obtaining any benefit whatever, since the slightest movement of the air 
would instantly produce evaporation of this volatile manure.” It is fortunate then that so useful an 
agent can be insured for the purposes of horticulture wherever a quantity of air can be isolated from 
the air outside; yet it is somewhat singular that its use, now attracting attention, in the cultivation 
of plants in the greenhouse, stove, pit, and frame, has not been thought of sooner. 
ON THE CALCEOLARIA AS A CONSERVATORY ORNAMENT. 
By Mn. JOHN COX, Gardexer to "V. "Wells Esq., Bedleaf. 
M OWEVER desirable it may be to erect a standard of excellence for this charming flower, and 
assert that perfection will only be attained when we have produced a flower as round as a cherry, 
and alike in colour all round, the probability of such a consummation is yet far distant; and, in the 
meantime, it is our duty, whilst keeping in mind and practising the means of improvement, not to de¬ 
spise the beauties we already possess ; for beautiful they are, and if cultivated in a sufficient number to 
form a mass in the conservatory or greenhouse, during the flowering season they will fill up many a 
-void, and excite almost universal admiration. The infinite variety and distinctness of their markings, 
and the many shades of colour, together with their elegant habit when subjected to a careful routine of 
cultivation, combine to render them objects of great attraction. As we have succeeded tolerably well 
in cultivating, at Redleaf, such varieties as are out, together with some excellent seedlings, I thought 
that a concise detail of our practice might not be unacceptable to those who feel desirous of cultivating 
a selection—first, premising that my remarks apply exclusively to the herbaceous kinds, as the shrubby 
sorts require a very different treatment. August is the most critical and trying month for herbaceous 
Calceolarias ; and the reason appears to be, that being weakened by the flowering which is just over, 
and the whole system of the plant stagnated, in consequence of there being no leaves and branches to 
assimilate food in proportion to the previous excitement, the plant therefore requires rest; and as August 
is often a very hot month it is difficult to prevent undue excitement, which at this season is often fatal. 
We therefore select for them a cool shady situation, and take care that they are not over watered. 
After a little time a new series of roots are emitted around the base of the stem, and when this is per¬ 
ceived it is proper to shake them out of the pots, prune off any of the old dead roots, (but not too 
close) and repot in sizes smaller and more proportioned to the roots ; they are then placed in a cold pit, 
the bottom of which is well drained and covered with fine coal ashes, each pot is placed on a brick or 
an inverted flower-pot, so as to bring it near to the glass; they are kept close for a day or two, and 
shaded, after which abundance of air should be given, and in fine weather the lights frequently taken 
off. As soon as they have well started into growth, they will require to be cut back so as to reduce 
them into shape. If the cuttings are not required, this cutting back may be done at the time of repotting ; 
but, as it is always best to keep up a young stock, I prefer having them on until the plants have again 
started into action, at which time the chances are in favour of leaving the old specimens better furnished, 
and the cuttings are more likely to succeed. We put these cuttings into small pots, and place them in 
a frame with a gentle bottom heat; they are examined at intervals, and those which are well rooted 
are removed into a cold pit to harden, previous to giving them more pot room. I have now brought 
both cuttings and old plants to what I will call the shifting point; and here I must observe that, with 
reference to the Calceolaria, it is out of place to give any set time for the shifting into larger pots, the 
state of the roots must be our guide, and consequently both cuttings and old plants must be often 
gone over, and those only shifted whose roots are in a fit condition. These operations may be 
carried on in mild weather all through the winter and early spring, for the Calceolaria is, when kept 
a few degrees above freezing point, in action during all that time; but as that action is slow, the rooting 
process is necessarily slow also, and therefore the reason why the shiftings cannot be generalized. 
The Calceolaria does not at any time require a great heat, in fact it would live out of doors if the tem¬ 
perature did not fall below the freezing point, therefore I think it injudicious to prefer keeping the 
herbaceous sorts in a greenhouse, where fire heat is indispensable, when they may be so much 
better preserved and grown in a cold pit. I keep them in such a structure up to the time of the 
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