THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 2 . 
340 
stubby, and but little lengthened since last October, you 
have managed admirably. They must now get a start 
for blooming. Those who wish to gain a year, will, no 
doubt, find plants at Camberwell ready to begin with. 
Any forcing house or pit will do, where they can 
receive from 5° to 10° higher temperature. 
If the pots could be plunged in a nice, sweet bottom 
heat, so that the roots would bo 5° or 10° in advance of 
the top, the plant would thank you for it. The roots 
have been as stationai-y as the shoots during the winter; 
it is advisable to give them the first start. Whonever 
the roots are freely pushing out fresh fibres the plants 
must get a larger shift, and this may be done on the 
successive, or the one shift, system. An eight or ten-inch 
pot will grow a middling specimen. On the successive 
mode, giving two or three shifts by the month of May, 
there is less danger from over watering. On the one- 
shift mode, the soil should increase in roughness as you 
near the sides of the pot; a portion of charcoal should 
be incorporated, the wholo well pressed, and water so 
judiciously given that the soil near the sides of the pot 
should never be wet, though moistish, until the roots 
begin to occupy it. With this attention as to watering, 
the one-shift system will involve, upon the whole, least 
trouble, and may often be used with great advantage 
with all plants grown only for that season. Whatever 
mode be adopted, though not absolutely necessary, yet, 
if the pots can be plunged so as to command a more 
equal, and a few degrees higher, temperature than the 
branches, it will be an advantage to the plant until the 
end of May. During this period, though air he given, 
yet a closish atmosphere should be secured to encourage 
growth. In June, the plants should have more air, and 
rather full exposure to light. After fresh growth in the 
head of the plant commenced the shoots should be tied 
out, and care taken to have them equal in strength. 
When growth is proceeding rapidly, not only will more 
water be necessary, but after the greater light and air 
that the plants receive in June, which will hasten the 
flowering process, they may have weak manure-water¬ 
ings alternately with the clear. As the heat of summer 
advances the plants should have more air. Under 
such treatment, August and September will be their 
chief flowering months, opening their first buds towards 
the end of July. When in this condition, after being 
inured to the change gradually, they make fine orna¬ 
ments for the parlour or the greenhouse ; but as already 
stated, the seed cannot be depended on unless it is 
ripened in a higher temperature. It may also be noted, 
that unless the temperature be warm, and tho position 
have plenty of light, the flowers will neither open so 
well nor have so good a colour. 
I so forget the matter in Mr. Cuthill’s monograph, 
that I do not know whether he describes a more royal, 
easier road to success than the above; the chief points 
of which, before they wero reduced to practice by 
myself, were communicated to mo by Mr. Thompson, 
many years ago. R. Fish. 
THE CYCLAMEN. 
A correspondent has made inquiry how to improve 
our present race of Cyclamens, especially the more 
hardy kinds, such as C. count, G. Europeum, and C. 
liederifolium. As the subject requires some space— 
rather more than is given to replies in general to cor¬ 
respondents in their proper place—and as those plants 
are decidedly pretty gems when in bloom, and univer¬ 
sally admired, I will answer the query for the benefit, 
not only of the querist but for our readers generally. 
The common Cyclamen grows wild on the hill sides of 
the south of Europe, and is so plentiful that tho pigs 
feed upon the roots or bulbs—hence our English name, 
Sowbread. The C. coum is found at a considerable 
elevation on the Alps, where it is protected from tho 
severe frost by the snow. When the warm days of 
spring partially melt the snow, this little plant may be 
seen with its beautiful deep pink blossom peeping 
through the white robe of the earth. 
Thus hardy are the Cyclamens; and yet liow many 
fail to grow and flower them well; and the reason, as I 
believe, is because the pure Alpine air, and the cool 
shelter of the snow, is not sufficiently attended to in 
their cultivation. On the contrary, as soon as they are - 
out of bloom they are placed in some out-of-the-way 
place, perhaps under tho drip of trees exposed to heavy 
rains, and saturated with wet while they last, and after 
wards suffering from extreme drought, and the ravages 
of slugs and other vermin concealed amongst and 
under the pots. The wonder is that any are left alive 
under such unfavourable treatment. 
To remedy this, I will try briefly to describe the 
proper culture, and shall divide tho subject into—1st, 
Propagation; 2nd, Soil; 3rd, Potting; and 4th, Summer 
and Winter Treatment. 
1st, Propagation- —All the species must be propagated 
by seed. The bulbs are solid—that is, they have no 
coats like the Onion, or the IlyacinLh, and they do not 
send forth any offsets like the solid bulb of the Crocus, 
or the Gladiolus. If a bulb of this latter is cut in two they 
will rot, and, consequently, perish, and so will that of the 
Cyclamen, and, therefore, they must bo propagated by 
seed. Tho seed itself is very perishablo and will not 
grow if kept too long ; lienee it must be sown as soon 
as it is ripe, which may be known by its changing 
colour and bursting the seed vessel. Sow it thinly in 
the compost I shall describe presently, in a wide, 
shallow pot,, or pan, covering it about a quarter-of-an- 
iucli; give a gentle watering, and place the pan in a cold 
frame. The greenhouse kinds may bo placed on a shelf 
near the glass, but shaded from the mid-day sun ; here 
they may remain till they come up, care being taken to 
keep tho soil moderately moist by sprinkling it occasion¬ 
ally with water from a fine-rosed watering pot. By no 
means flood it, or pour tho water on heavily, for if that is 
practised the seed will be washed bare and perish. 
Some of them may come up soon, but the greater part will 
remain under the soil till the spring, lu this position 
they should remain until all grow, and then increase the 
quantity of water, but only just sufficient to thoroughly 
moisten it, withholding it then until the soil is mode¬ 
rately dry again. The beautiful single little seed-leaves 
will increaso in size during the growing season, and each 
will form a small, tiny bulb. Towards the end of June 
the leaves will begin to turn brown and decay; then 
they must be allowed to go to rest, by giving no more 
water. Keep thorn in the pan, placing it in a cool 
place so contrived that no heavy rains can fall upon it. 
Towards the autumn they will begin to grow again, and 
as soon as that is observed stir tho surface of the soil, 
cloaring it of moss and lichens or weeds. Then put a 
thin coating of fresh soil on tho surface, and water it to 
settle it close upon tho small bulbs, which should not 
be covered too deep. I prefer keeping the young bulbs 
the second year in the same pan, because the -first 
season they are so very small that there is danger of 
a considerable number being lost, if the attempt is made 
to transplant them, or take them up when a year old. 
Keep the soil again, during tho second season, properly 
moistened, and when tho leaves docay, allow them again 
to go to rest. When the season of growth arrives, then 
keep a watch upon them, and as soon as tho least signs j 
of growth are apparent provide a sufficient number of | 
thumb-pots, tho smallest size made, drain them well, 
and fill them with the compost, then carefully, with a j 
flat, sharp stick, take up a bulb, and place it in tho | 
middle of the pot, leaving tho upper part of it just 
