116 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[NovkmSeh 21. 
white sand, place the cuttings round the edge of the pot, 
making them firm witli a small dibble, fill up the holes 
with some more sand, give a gentle watering, place them 
under the hand-glasses, and water them occasionally 
when they become dry ; in six weeks they will be rooted, 
and should then immediately he potted off into small 
pots, and managed the same way as is described above 
for seedlings. 
Rondeletia thyusoidea (Thyrse-flowered Ronde- 
letia); S. America.—This is a beautiful new plant be¬ 
longing to the genus Rondeletia. It was raised by two 
persons at nearly the same time, namely, Mr. Bassett, 
gardener to R. S. Holford, Esq., and Mr. Smith, gar¬ 
dener to J. Anderson, Esq., of the Holme, Regent’s Park. 
It is somewhat singular, both these gentlemen discovered 
their plants growing amongst a mass of orchids imported 
from S. America. The singularity of the foliage attracted 
their attention, and the plants were carefully preserved 
until they flowered. Mr. Smith’s plant, we believe, 
flowered earliest. This is not the first time that hand¬ 
some valuable plants have been accidentally imported 
into this country. Messrs. Henderson, of Pine Apple 
Place, above seven years ago, obtained the fine Aehimenes 
Mr mi l a from Guatimala, amongst a mass of Odonto- 
glossum grande; also, a new Epiphyllum, from the 
midst of a mass of Gattleya Skinneri. The above-named 
Mr. Smith had that beautiful and valuable-for-bedding 
plant, the Cuphea plat//centra, in the samo way. The 
fact is easily accounted for: these orchids are found in 
the locality where these plants grow wild, the seeds 
either fall amongst the orchids or are carried thither by 
birds, and so are brought over with the masses of orchids; 
and as soon as they are placed in a favourable position 
as to climate and moisture, the seeds germinate, and the 
plants are produced. All they want, then, is to be care¬ 
fully drawn out, potted, and grown on till they flower. 
The above facts show that we ought to take care of every 
plant that appears amongst newly imported orchids, be¬ 
cause, although we may be often disappointed as to the 
value or beauty of nine-tenths of the plants so procured, 
still the chances are that the tenth plant will be a good 
one, and repay for the trouble of growing the other nine 
that may or may not be worthless. 
Our present subject is a plant with large handsome 
foliago and corymbs of flowers like the other Rondeletias. 
The colour of the flowers is a pale rosy lilac. They are 
produced abundantly in terminal and side clusters in 
February and March, or with a little extra heat still 
earlier. Wo saw them last December flowering finely in 
a warm stovo at Weston Birt, under the judicious care 
of Mr. Bassett. The season of flowering may ho pro¬ 
longed much by keeping the plants in a cool greenhouse 
till March, and thon placing thorn in a moderate stove 
heat. A vinery or peach-house at that season would suit 
them well. The usual compost of loam, peat, and leaf 
mould should be used to grow them in. Thoy strike as 
readily by the same method as the family of Hibiscus 
described above. This plant is valuablo as a winter 
bloomer, and is a useful addition to the flora of that 
dreary season. Messrs. Henderson, of Pine Apple Place, 
have a large stock of it. T. Appleby. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
The fino weather wo have been favoured with lately, 
has enabled the florist to give plenty of air and light to 
the tender plants under his care. By exposing them 
I constantly to the open air they will acquire a degree of 
hardness and strength that will enable them to with¬ 
stand better the severity of the weather that is more or 
less sure to visit us in the next and following months. 
Do not, however, let the fine weather tempt you to neglect 
using every precaution against a sudden change. Have 
everything in readiness to protect beds of bulbs from 
heavy rains, frost, and snow; have your coverings for 
plants in frames also ready for use every evening, should 1 
there be the least appearance of severe frost. See back 
numbers for further particulars. T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. 
Whilst the weather continues favourable make the j 
best use of your time in establishing good order, and 
attending systematically to all out-of-doors operations. 
Let the surface soil be kept in a loose open state amongst 
all kinds of crops. See that no gaps amongst the cole- 
wort and cabbage crops are allowed to remain for want 
of tilling up with strong plants. Take care that a suffi¬ 
cient quantity of cauliflower plants are pricked in frames 
and ill pots, or on sloping banks, &c., and that those 
previously pricked are kept surface-stirred, and the de¬ 
cayed leaves cleared away. If any of the first pricked 
plants are likely to become too strong, fork them up and 
reprick them, in order to give them a little check, but 
this will only be found needful where the olden time of 
sowing, from the middle of August to the middle of Sep¬ 
tember, continues to be practised. Those who sow as we 
have always recommended, from the middle of September 
until the second week in October, need have no fear of 
their plants becoming too strong at this season, or of 
their buttoning or forming little puny flowers early in 
the spring, when their growth should commence. Those 
who have gone to the expense and trouble of planting 
out under hand-glasses, should leave the glasses off all 
night as well as during the day whilst we have mild 
open weather; and the slugs should be sought for and 
trapped as previously recommended. Our practice has 
always been to repair and store our hand-glasses in 
autumn, keeping the cauliflower plants potted on till 
February, trenching up and manuring the piece of 
ground selected for their transplantation into high 
sloping banks, all roughly ridged, frequently stirring the 
soil on frosty mornings. As we, however, generally 
choose the ridge cucumber ground for this purpose, our 
ground is already manured; but by either way of manage¬ 
ment when planting time arrives, the soil has become 
in good healthy condition, free from slugs, &c. The 
valleys between the sloping banks are made choice of for 
the hand-glasses, pretty close to the foot of the warmest 
side of the bank ; the alley or walk necessary for attend- i 
ing to the airing, &c., being formed on the coldest side of j 
course. 
The sloping hanks are at once planted, partly with 
cauliflowers, lettuce, and spinach, with a row of early peas, 
&c., on the summit; all of which crops make great pro¬ 
gress, with no gaps or uneven stunted growths to be seen ; 
all advance rapidly, and all come jn early in the season, 
and the ground is again cleared at the right time for taking 
a splendid crop of celery, summer lettuce, autumn endive, 
&c., between which wc also take a crop of the Bishop’s 
dwarf pea, the American, or auy other good variety of 
dwarf pea that will continue to yield its produce until 
November; and thus, by a little contrivance and good 
management, a large produce in succession may be ob¬ 
tained from a small portion of land. 
After all this succession of cropping and stining the 
soil that we have been describing, we trench our celery 
out, as required for use, into banks as we proceed, in 
readiness for the spring onion crop, for which this portion 
of our ground is always in excellent condition ; of course 
this is also forked and stirred on frosty mornings, so that 
neither weeds nor vermin have any chance of making 
their appearance; and when the season for onion sowing 
arrives the seed of course is drilled, and charred refuse 
is mixed with it as manm-e. In this way a splendid crop 
of onions are always safe and sure; and when these are j 
