THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— September 20,1850. 455 
Health}’, vigorous, floriferous growth next season 
depends on the healthy maturation of the tubers now 
before they tire induced to go to rest for the winter. 
The best placo to convey them to is n cold pit, where 
they can have, at first, the sunlight a little shaded, and 
then completely unshaded ; water given scuntily while 
the loaves are green, and, as they turn yellow, withheld 
altogether, and caro taken that no rain falls on them, 
and then, after a week or two, the pots turned on their 
broadsides, but so as, while damp is excluded, the sur¬ 
face of the pots shall roceivo a good portion of the sun’s 
rays. The next best place is the foot of a south wall, 
where the plants can be shaded at first, and then 
exposod to full sunlight, and, when the foliage is 
decayed, the pots to be then laid down. The tubers 
may remain in the pots all the winter in a dry condition, 
or, as saving room, bo taken out, and each sort put in 
bags, or in a pot or saucer, covered with dry earth or 
sand, and, in either case, kept where the temperature 
will not be long below 40°. Let no amateur think that 
these trifles are unworthy of attention. The first 
elements of success are sound, fleshy, healthy tubers. 
Gloxinias that have bloomed early treat the same as 
Achimeues, only, if possible, they should not go out of 
doors, as, the higher and drier the temperature, when 
the foliage is nearly decayed, the more perfect will the 
tuber be. Though kept dry when in a state of rest, I 
prefer leaving them in the pots turned on their broad¬ 
sides, as, when taken out. the tuber is apt to shrivel too 
much; and if much care is not exercised in watering 
wheu they begin to swell and grow, a rottenness is apt 
to ensue from a sudden extreme of dryness and moisture. 
I do not like tho temperature to tie lower, in winter, 
than from 40° to 45°, and the soil about them dry. 
When the tubers get very large they should be 
exchanged for medium-sized ones, as they always make 
the healthiest, best flowering plants. Seedlings and 
cuttings in spring will now be coming in for a late 
display, and will require a temperature of from 00° to 
75°, plenty of moisture, and a little shade on very 
bright days. 
Allamandas and Stephanotis, &c. —The beauty of 
these next year depends on their treatment now. The 
flowering will be over, or nearly so. Let them grow ou, 
with plenty of heat and moisture, and a little shade, 
and you will have plenty of vigour next season, prune 
how you will; but few flowers will reward you for your 
labour. Place the plants anywhere now where they 
will have a dry atmosphere, unobstructed sun-light, air 
as much as will not greatly lower the temperature, and 
water just sufficient to keep the leaves from Hugging— 
that flagging, in a very bright day, being prevented by 
a dewing over the foliage from the syringe, rather than 
watering at the roots, if the soil is at all moistish—and 
the shoots will get hard and firm before the end of 
October, and provided the plants are kept in a tempera¬ 
ture of from 50° to 55° in winter, and dry rather than 
otherwise. However you prune your plauts, you will 
have no scarcity of bloom on the fresh growth of next 
summer. Ecliites suberecta,' dtro-purpurea, &c., should 
bo treated in the same way, and tho same may be said 
of tho best I pom teas. 
Passion-flowers and such plants as tho above, grown 
ou tho roof, should have the exhausted shoots pruned 
back, in order that the younger ones showing bloom 
may have more room, and more light be admitted to the 
plants on tho stages or borders beneath, as the sun is 
now fast losing its power, and the ripening of the wood 
of all plants requires that they should have almost tho 
whole sun-light they can obtain. Prudence and caution 
must even hero step in to guard against extremes, in¬ 
attention to which has been the source of many mis¬ 
fortunes. For instance, for eight days now previous to 
this goth of August, we liavo had dismal, rainy weather, 
relieved by but few blinks of sunshine. What would 
you think of the wisdom of a gardener who, in such 
circumstances, would give his plauts the usual daily 
jerk from the water-pail ? What sympathetic pity are 
you prepared to pour into his ears, so open to receive 
such balmy consolation, when he sends you lugubrious 
accounts how this and that fine piaut festered, cankered, 
or went off at the collar, when lie had used his utmost art 
to treat the denizen of a hill-side as if it rejoiced in a 
sedgy, squashy marsh ? Suppose a bright, sunny day 
were to come to-morrow, on the principle that there 
cannot be too much of a good thing, would it be right 
to give to every plant all the sun light possible? In the 
open air wo cannot avoid it to any extent; hut then the 
plants there are under no such artificial regime as our pets 
in stoves and greenhouses, though even they often suffer 
from sudden extremes, in such a case, prudence would 
advise a little shading until the plants got used to the 
change, and a slight syringing, to lesson evaporation 
through thefoliago; and the want of this little attention, 
without any other cause whatever, has paralyzed the 
energies of many a tender plant, and shortened tho 
career of many beds of Cucumbers and Melons, that 
otherwise would have repaid the cares of their attendants. 
R. Fish. 
(To be continued.) 
SEASONABLE HINTS ON THE CULTURE 
OF FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Lobelias (tall).—These fine ornaments to tho flowpr- 
gavdeu and parterre have been much improved lately 
in breadth of petal and density of spike. The colour 
has not been much improved. The original L. fulgent 
and L. curdinalis have flowers of the most splendid 
scarlet. Tho varieties since brought into culture scarcely 
excel them., The plants now will be in full flower, 
therefore but little attention is required beyond keeping 
them clear of weeds, and duly supplied with water if the 
weather prove dry. Should any have been grown iu 
pots they will now be out of bloom. These may be 
| cut dowu, the flower-stalks cut into threo-inch lengths, 
| and iusorted very deep round the edges of 5-iuch pots; 
j and placed in a frame on an exhausted hotbed. They 
j will strike root, and push forth buds, uud form nice 
plants next year. 
As soon as the old plants in pots push forth new 
shoots, and these have attained some size, they may be 
divided iuto as many plants as there are shoots, that 
is, if it be desired to increase the stock. I have found 
that when these old plants (alter being cut down) 
have been left without dividing, a kiud of canker has 
seized upon tho old flower-stem in the centre, and 
gradually destroyed not only it, but all the young sprouts 
around it. Any grower, then, that has but a small stock 
had better seize time by the forelock, and divide his 
plants directly, nursing them for a few weeks under 
glass till they are fairly established. After that is 
accomplished ho may place them on a shelf in the green¬ 
house, or in a warm pit through the winter. They 
make excellent plants for pot-culture the succeeding 
season. The plants in beds, when out. of bloom, may be 
taken up with good balls, and put into large pots or 
boxes, and placed in pits, or in a good greenhouse, 
securely protected from frost and damp. They will, in 
the spring, produce n great number of plauts, sufficient 
for the largest flower-garden. 
Lobelias (dwarf) —Tlieso nro indispensable for a 
garden on the bedding-out system, and now is a good 
time to take up a few plants of the best varieties, and 
pot them, cutting off the tops that may bo late and 
straggling, trimming them in so as to form neat, bushy 
plauts. Half a dozen plauts so potted, and well pre- 
