180 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
narrow as 1 foot, it ought to be at least H foot deep. 
1t should be formed with—loam, two parts; peat, two 
parts; leaf mould, one part; with a due proportion of 
sand. The loam and peat should be used in a rough 
state, unsifted, as this will keep the border open for 
some years. 
Propagation. —These plants seldom produce seed, and 
therefore must be propagated by cuttings. The best 
time is early spring. The best cuttings are the young 
tops of the shoots made the same season. Three joints 
are sufficient to make a cutting, if short-jointed; if long- 
jointed, two are sufficient. Place the cuttings in sand, 
under bell-glasses, either plunged in a bark bed or set 
upon a heated surface of sand oyer a tank of hot water. 
As these cuttings are young and tender, they are apt to 
damp off—hence it is necessary, for the first week or 
two, to wipe the moisture from the glasses every morn¬ 
ing, and by this means preventing the ill effects of 
damp confined air. If well managed, they will be 
rooted in two months, and should then have the glasses 
left off every night for a week; then to be potted off 
into small pots in the compost described above, using 
the precaution of putting it through a coarse sieve, to 
take out the stones and rough pieces of turf. Place the 
plants, after pottiug, under hand-glasses for a short time, 
till they are able to bear full exposure to the light. In 
a year’s time they will be fit to plant in the borders. 
Winter-blooming Stove Plants. — In all places 
where a collection of stove plants are cultivated, it is 
desirable to kuow what plants may be expected to bloom 
at particular seasons, especially in places where the 
owners are only at home at some periods of the year; 
and the following list of such as bloom in winter will he 
useful to a number of our readers, more particularly such 
as may be just entering upon their culture. 
Achimenes picta (painted A.).—Yellow inside, red 
without, and spotted. Soil. —Leaf mould and loam ; 
should be cultivated in wide shallow pans. 
Aphelandiia aurantiaca (Orange A.).—Bright orange 
colour ; requires great heat to bring it into flower. 
When in bloom remove it into the coolest part of the 
stove—it will last then along time in bloom. 
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) aulica (Courtly A.); red 
with white stripes.—A fine bulb with large handsome 
flowers ; should be grown in a bark pit, and when in 
flower removed into the stove. 
Begonia ramextacea (Branching B.); white.—A 
dwarf growing species, flowering from July to December. 
A very desirable plaut, with roundish leaves that are 
red underneath. 
Centradenia floribunda (Many-flowered C.); pale 
rose.—A dwarf bush with abundance of blooms. The 
stems and leaf-stalks are bright red. 
Eranthemum pulchellum (Pretty E.); blue.—A 
charming winter-blooming plant of easy culture. May 
be grown to a large size if frequently repotted, and the 
ends of the shoots stopped from the September previous 
to the season of blooming the year following. It may 
then be three feet high, and as much through. 
E. strictum (Upright E.) ; purple.—A compact grow¬ 
ing plant, with numerous spikes of bright purple flowers; 
flowering from October to January. A very desirable 
plant. 
Euphorbia jacquiniflora (Jacquinia-flowered E.).— 
This is a graceful plant with small bright scarlet flowers, 
produced on the upper part of the shoots made the sum¬ 
mer previously. The branches are slender, and curve 
downwards, aud the flowers are arranged ou the upper 
side, numerously and thickly; thus rendering them an 
elegant ornament lor ladies’ hair. Grown in quantities 
in some of the nurseries round London, for supplying 
the dealers in cut-flowers in Co vent Garden. 
Gardenia Florida (Florida G.).—Already described in 
a former number. 
[December 19. I 
Gesnera picta (Painted G.).—A neat free-flowering 
plant, lately introduced from Brazil, having scarlet and 
yellow flowers tipped with green, produced numerously 
from the upper parts of the stems. Very desirable. 
Jasminum ligustiufolum (Privet-leaved J.).—A very 
pretty sweet scented Jasmine, of dwarf habit, flowering 
when very young. The blooming season of this highly 
perfumed species extends through nearly half the year. 
J. sambac pleno (Arabian Jasmine).—Double white, j 
strongly perfumed flowers ; blooms nearly all the year. 
Luculia gratissima (Sweetest L.).—A truly charming 
shrub. Will flower at this time of the year beautifully 
in the stove. Answers also planted out in a warm con- 
servatory. • 
Manettia bicolor (Two-coloured M.).—Few plants 
give greater pleasure than this pretty dwarf climber. 
The small neat foliage enables the flowers to show them- j 
selves to advantage; they are bright red tipped with 
yellow. 
Poinsettia pulcherima (Most pretty P.).—A splendid 
plant, with large scarlet bractes, frequently six or eight j 
inches diameter; the colour is most brilliant. 
Rondeletia speciosa major (Larger showy R.). —With 
very handsome orange-red flowers. 
R. thyrsoidea, described lately; a new and good 
acquisition. 
Salvia gloxinleflora (Gloxinia-flowered S.).—A truly 
splendid ornament for the stove, at a time when flowers 
are scarce. Easily cultivated. 
(To be continued.) 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Cinerarias. —Some of the early bloomers will now be 
coming into flower, aud may be moved into the green¬ 
house. Those intended for exhibition should be care¬ 
fully attended to, to prevent a single degree of frost 
reaching them; at the same time they must be excited 
as little as possible. The great object is to keep them 
growing slowly, so as to develope a large quantity of 
large foliage before the flowers appear. Give air abun¬ 
dantly at aU seasons not actually frosty. In dry 
weather take off the lights of the pit entirely. In wet 
weather tilt them up either behind or, what is better, 
place the tilt in the middle of the rafter, and let the edge 
of the light rest upon it. This gives a thorough draft of 
air to every part of the pit. Water occasionally; even 
now Cinerarias require more water in winter than any 
other plants in pits. Smoke with tobacco frequently ; 
the green fly is the greatest pest to the Cineraria and 
Calceolaria, and must be kept under. T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Every vacancy amongst the cabbage crops should be 1 
filled up, and not one plant allowed to be missing. Where 
the plantings are not very extensive, they may easily, by 
the assistance of a boy with a basket, on a dry day, be kept 
clear of decaying leaves, and the leaves may always be 
turned to some account either for the piggery or the 
manure pit. Surface stirring should not be neglected , 
when the weather is favourable, as attention to this 
point is not only conducive to the maintenance of health 
and vigour amongst all crops, but is also a protection 
against severe frost. 
Keep previous directions iu view with regal'd to all 
tender and advancing crops, which should be occasion¬ 
ally dredged with charred or other kind of dry dust. 
Trifling as such attentions may appear, depend upon it 
the after results will be very satisfactory. Those who 
have any quantity of cabbages or coleicorts now turned in, 
should secure them by lifting and laying them in thickly j 
