284 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 13. 
j)osilion; stop tlie shoots to increase ttieir nmnher, and 
continue nipping the strongest until June; liasping the 
strongest to the rim of the pot will be nearly all the 
training that will he required. Pot when necessary, 
until, by tho middle of June, you give the last shift into 
an eight or ten-inch pot, using plenty of drainage, and a 
little cliarcoal and broken bricks to keep the soil open, 
hrom J\lay, until the middle of July, a cold pit, wheie 
the ])hint can be kept rather close to encourage young 
shoots, will be the 2 ilace for it. After then, air must be 
more freely communicated, until full exposure is given 
to the top of the j)lant in August. I'bis will ripen the 
young shoots, aiid cause tlower-buds to form freely. P))' 
the middle of October it will be advisable to remove the 
])lant under protection; for though the plant itself is 
not easily injured, the incipient flower-spikes might be 
nipped by any sudden extreme. 
V’^EUONicA suEcxosA.-—Eew shrubs are more graceful- 
looking than this, but tho flowers, though interesting, 
bear no comparison to tho above. It is one of the 
things I got tired of. Its free growth, and large size in 
a couple of years, demands so much space; though even 
as an evergreen bush it is interesting. It has been 
tried out of doors, and against walls, with more or less 
success. A glass-case would seem to be the place for it, 
the ju'otection being removed in sximmer. Treated as 
above detailed for Andersonii, it will bloom in winter 
and spring in a greenhouse; hut there should be no 
stopping the shoots after the middle of May, or they 
will not bloom early enough. 
LiTHOsPERjtDM RosJiAKINrFouiDM.—A pretty, dwarf, 
blue-flowering, hardy shrub, found plentifully about 
Naples and the Grecian Archipelago. It deserves a 
place among hardy greenhouse 2 )lants in winter, as wet 
and frost sj)oil the flowers when out-of-doors. Plunged 
out-of doors it might be inh’oduced in November. It is 
easily propagated, and as easily grown. In beauty it 
is superior to mofe tender sjxecies. It deserves a con¬ 
servative wall, though hardy. 
Azara iNTE(iRiFon(A.—Au interesting evergreen shrub 
that TwoducGS its bunches of flowers out-of-doors in 
winter in the south of the island, and, 1 have been told, 
in many ^xarts of Ireland. I have never seen it in 
bloom, in such circumstances, north of London. Pro¬ 
tected from wet, this and A. dentata will flourish as 
evergreens against a wall. Great quantities were raised 
of it by Mr. Knight, of Chelsea, from Chilian seeds, 
some twenty years ago. Compact bushes would orna¬ 
ment a hardy groenliouse in winter. Cuttings of linn, 
young shoots strike, hut slowhj, under a bell-glass or 
hand-light. Loam and jjoat will suit it. 
Selaoo nisTANS.—There is nothing very striking in 
this small, wbite-flowering plant; but it is one of the 
newest of a family not particxdarly distinguished for 
blazing beauty. I introduce it here because it flowers 
so freely in winter and S 2 )ring. Like the rest of its neigh¬ 
bours it comes from the Cape of Good Hope. Many 
of the species thrive nicely when jilanted out in summer. 
Cuttings of firm, stubby, young shoots, if struck under 
a bell-glass in spring, will enable you to have nice little 
potted-off jilants before the end of autumn. These, 
kept in an airy, dry jilaco in winter, stopped and shifted 
in sj)ring, grown in a closisb cold pit in the beginning 
of summer, and luoro air and com 2 )lete exjiosure after¬ 
wards, will furnish rdee little plants for winter-blooming. 
Sandy loam, and a little 2 'eat or decayed leaf mould 
will grow it. 
This paper may be considei'ed as a supplement to 
those on hardier greenhouse plants in former volumes. 
An average temperature at night, ranging from 37^ to 
•lo“, will suit them. R, Fish. 
THE AURICULA. 
{OoiUiitiicd/idiH pai/e 2(i4.) 
Summer Treatment. —In dividing this subject into 
heads, 1 ought to have written S 2 iring and summer 
treatment, and autumn and winter treatment, for a 
different management is required at all the four seasons. 
The S 2 uiug for blooming; the summer for growing; 
the autumn and winter months may be considered as 
requiring a 2 'rotectivs treatment. In accordance with ' 
this arrangement, I shall, on this occasion, commence 
wdth spring culture. This commences about the middle 
of February; the plants should then be healthy, have 
green, broad foliage, with the soil moderately dry. 
Some fine day, about that time, have all the plants 
brought into the shed on the 2 »otting bench, and while 
they are there let the frame and glass be thoroughly 
cleansed. If they stand on a bed of coal ashes let it 
bo raked over, clearing away all moss and weeds, and 
ap 2 dy a thin hiyer of clean, dry, coal ashes, or oven 
sawdust. If they stand on a stage inside the frame 
(which is by far the best method, because they are then 
less liable to dam 2 ) and mildew), let it also be well 
scrubbed ; let the glass lights be placed against a wall 
to thorougly dry ; look well inside and outside for slugs 
and snails, and destroy them. While this cleaning is 
being done, let a careful hand examine the jdants, clear 
away all decaying leaves, and a portion of the top soil; 
and if the 2 iots have become mossy or dirty on the out- 
.side, let them be clean washed, without wetting the soil. 
When this 02 )eration is complete, tho ('Ots first done 
will bo dry enough to handle again. Have some rich 
compost, in a moderately dry state, and |)ut a layer of 
it in each 2 >ot. This is what is called, in the florists’ 
hinguiige, a top-dressing. The compost for this shoidd 
be richer than tho one used for 2 iotting, that is, it | 
should have a larger proportion of well-decomposed and , 
sweetened manure in it. Finish this t 02 )-dressing neatly, ^ 
pressing it gently round the neck of each 2 >lant; then, 
if any have been observed to bo rather dry, give such 
a gentle wuitering, and let them stand on the bench 
till the superfluous water has drained away. The 
plants will then look tidy and fresh, and if they 
coxdd speak would thank the operator for his pains. 
Re 2 )]ace them in the frame; cover them up effec¬ 
tually, if there is the least a 2 ipcarance of frost, for then 
they will be very susce 2 xtible and im 2 xatient of cold. 
Give air early in tlxe morning if the weather will per¬ 
mit, and let out the damp that may have accumulated 
through the night, after such a thorough cleaning. 
Though this spring-dressing will be better done so early 
in the year, yet, if the weather is severe and unpro 2 )itious, 
it may be 2 )iit off till the first week in March, but by no 
means later, for the additional stimulant in the new 
compost is intended to assist the 2 'lants to throw up 
stronger and finer blooms, and if it is delayed after that 
time the effect will xiot take 2 daco. After this tho 
usual routine of culture should be diligently followed. 
The giving of air on all favourable occasions is the 
most important 2 '>oint at this season. Whenever the 
day will permit, expose them fully to the sun-beams; 
and other soft, humid days, give air by propping U2i the 
lights behind. This strengthens the 2 daiits, and en- ^ 
courages them to send up strong flower-stems. The 1 
giving of a due supply of water is also of gi-eat moment j 
now. They should neither be wet nor dry, and when i 
water is given, it should be in such quantities as to wet 
the whole of the soil in each pot. Great discrimination 
must be exercised on this point, and tho quantity of 
water given to each plant should be in proportion to 
the state of the soil. If dry, give plenty; if moderately 
so, give loss; and if wet, give none at all, but omit such 
plants till the next time, oi' till they absolutely require 
it. The watering-pot should be a small one, with a 
