422 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— September 0, 185C. 
of circular single brick walls ; but, as this paper is already 
sufficiently long, I will conclude here, as I have had no 
practical experience of culture in the hollow cylinder, 
whereas the other is in good working order .—(Horticultural 
Society’s Journal.) 
SEASONABLE HINTS ON THE CULTURE OF 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
The Fuchsia in Pots. —At this season of the year 
many of the earlier bloomed plants will become naked 
of leaves and flowers, and probably infested with red | 
spider. As they are no ionger ornamental, they should ; 
be at once turned out of the greenhouse and placed out ! 
of doors. If they are troubled with the red spider, I i 
have found an effectual cure by laying them down in | 
heavy showers, turning them over once or twice, and I 
when the insects are washed off'they may be set upright j 
again, to allow the rain to wash off any dirt from the 
leaves. The plants will then gradually harden previous 
to being removed into their winter quarters. They may 
be kept in any place through that season, providing 
they are dry and just protected from frost. I have kept 
them well under a greenhouse stage, by taking the pre¬ 
caution to lay the pots on one side to keep the soil from 
getting wet. All green, unripe shoots should be pruned 
off, for such soft wood is sure to damp off and injure 
even the well-ripened shoots. The Fuchsia is such a , 
quick grower, that it is not worth while to keep any 
more than two years old, with the exception, perhaps, of 
such as have been trained for standards to form weeping I 
plants. These, by judicious pruning, may be kept 
several years, and will form finer heads every year. 
The autumn flowering kinds, such as F. serratifolia, 
spectabilis, and Dominiana, should now be in full 
flower. They should be kept then in the greenhouse or 
conservatory till their bloom is over, and then pruned 
in moderately, and kept, during the winter, rather dry 
and from frost till the potting season comes round agaiu. 
Fuchsias growing in the Borders, out of pots, will 
now be in great beauty. We often have a frosty night 
or two early in September, and then mild weather nearly 
up to Christmas. I have often preserved them in health 
and beauty by throwing over them, on such early frosty 
nights, a covering of mats or canvass, thus prolonging j 
the bloom till winter really sets in. Fine standards on | 
the lawn, or in the centre of beds, may be kept through j 
winter in a shed or dry cellar, by taking them with their | 
roots entire, and plunging the roots in dry earth, and , 
when the frosts are over in spring, such preserved j 
plants will be found effective much earlier than young 
plants. 
The Hollyhock. —The beauty of these plants will 
now be nearly over. As soon as ever they become I 
shabby they should be cut down, to cause young shoots : 
to spring from the base. If they are carelessly left with ; 
their tops on till late in the season, the shoots are often J 
so weak that the whole plant perishes. Of course, if 
ripe seed is required, the stems must remain till that is 
effected ; but 1 would advise all amateurs to spend six¬ 
pence or a shilling on a packet of seed, rather than in¬ 
jure their choice varieties by allowing the stems to re¬ 
main till the seeds are ripened. By thus cutting down 
early, many shoots will spring forth, which will allow 
the plants to be increased by division. When well fur¬ 
nished with shoots, take them up, and divide them with 
a strong knife. Each division must have a fair por¬ 
tion of roots, and at least one good shoot at the top. 
These divisions may be planted out in a bed of light, 
dry soil in the garden; or, if there are frames or pits on 
the grounds, they may be potted into as small pots as 
their roots can be got into, and placed under glass, and 
shaded till fresh roots are made, and the shoots slightly 
advanced. Let it, however, be understood, that the very 
best sorts only need have this trouble bestowed upon 
them. Such as are left in the ground undisturbed 
should have their large leaves trimmed off, and the 
ground manured and forked over. When very severe 
frost sets in, a thin covering of light, littery manure will 
greatly protect them from its evil effects, only be careful 
to remove it off the foliage as soon as a general thaw 
takes place. 
The Petunia. —Perhaps there is no florist's flower 
so difficult to manage through autumn and winter as 
this. In fact, it must be treated as an annual. Old 
plants are of no use, for they, even if they survive the 
winter, are so weakly aud straggling that, except to 
obtain cuttings from in spring, they are useless. Hence 
every good cultivator takes care to raise a good supply 
of young plants early from cuttings. Some prefer 
keeping them in the cutting-pots through the winter, 
and potting them off in the spring. Where a large 
number is required for bedding purposes, this pi an may 
be the best, because they take up less room ; but if 
intended for pot-culture, they should be potted off 
singly uow, and placed in a frame under glass, giving 
moderate supplies of water, and shading from hot sun¬ 
shine till well established. Then place them on a shelf 
near the glass in a good greenhouse, nipping off the 
tops occasionally to keep them dwarf and busny. By 
such treatment the cultivator may, by two or three 
repottings early in the spring, form fine, strong plants, 
which will flower well in the greenhouse, and make 
quite a blaze with their beautiful flowers. 
The Pink. —Just now is an important season in the 
culture of this sweet, favourite, pretty flower. The 
pipings should now all be rooted, and now is the time 
to prepare the bed for their reception. If the soil is old 
and exhausted, remove it entirely a foot deep, and 
replace it with good, fresh, maiden loam three parts, and 
one part well-decomposed stable-dimg. Mix it well 
together, and raise the bed six inches above the level at 
the sides, and nine inches in the centre. If the sides 
aud ends are boarded, or edged with long slabs of blue 
slate, the bed will look much neater and tidy. Plant 
the pipings out in rows twelve inches apart, and three 
plants in a place, in this form— The 
reason for this is, that the blooms on each three may 
be protected by one shelter. If possible, each three 
should all be of one kind. Plant firmly; that is, press 
the soil to each plant very hard. This will keep them 
in their place, and, in a great measure, prevent them 
from being thrown out with the frost. If some decayed 
tanner’s bark can be had, a covering of it two inches 
thick will be of service. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
LETTUCES, MUSHROOMS, AND POTATOES. 
Lettuces. —Having advised that a sowing of Lettuce 
should be made the last week in August, I may here 
observe that another sowing may be made early in Sep¬ 
tember, and even as late as the end of the month, if 
means can be taken to insure the germination of the 
seed, which can only be done by covering the bed over 
with glass, or sowing it on some spot to which artificial 
heat can be applied, as an old hotbed, or a new slight 
one made up for the purpose; but, be it remembered, 
that it is not advised to force the young plants forward; 
all that is wanted is to force the seed to vegetate, and 
then preserve the plants from all mishaps; but the 
slower they grow the better, provided they be enabled 
to stand the winter, which they do best when their 
growth in the few weeks previously to bard weather set¬ 
ting in has been sturdy, and not coddled into an artificial 
condition. With this object in view, it is advisable to 
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