443 
THE COTTAGE GAllDENER. 
Marcu 10. 
the jilaiits, and shade, and in a day or so syringe in the 
same manner with clear water, 
j To save repetition, I may say, that exactly the same 
I process may bo adopted with Camellias. They, likewise, 
j when grafted, will grow quicker when indulged with the 
moist heat of a sweet hotbed. Well ripened wood of 
last season must also be used. If cuttings should be 
preferred, every bud of these ripened shoots will form a 
cutting. Any Camellia stock will do for grafting Ca¬ 
mellias —the single red and the double white are gene¬ 
rally preferred. In watering, the plants will like stronger 
water than w'ould suit Azaleas —such as we spoke offer 
Acacia. More will bo said of them under a greenhouse- 
vinery before long. 
Balsams. —The man who grows fine bushy Balsams, 
covered with bloom, will not fail in anything he fairly 
sets his mind upon. The difficulty is just to give tliem 
the position they want, for though they will stand a 
temperature in a hotbed of from 0U° to 70°, when they 
are vegetating, and until six inches in height, an 
average night temperature of 60^' would suit them 
better after that, and abundance of air during the day, 
and even a little at night. The best jdants ever 1 saw 
were growing in a sheltered place, out-ofdoors, in Sep¬ 
tember. They were planted out in June, from seeds 
sown in the end of April. To have plants in bloom in 
June and July the seeds must be sown now. When 
wanted at the end of July and August it will be time 
enough to sow three weeks or a month hence. There 
are two ways in which we like to see them First, as 
single stems, with a few short side-branches at the base, 
and covered from that base to nearly the summit, with 
large flowers. By this mode they bloom earliest; the 
chief thing, in addition to requisite shiftings, being the 
thinning of the bloom-buds. Secondly, in hush fashion. 
This requires more time, and the sacrificing of the early 
buds to encourage side-branches. In both cases, to 
save disappointment, I prefer keeping the plants in very 
small pots until the first flower expands ; the bad ones 
are then thrown away. The whole of the flower-buds 
are picked from the good ones, they are then shifted, 
and everything done to encourage the growing versus 
the Jiowering principle. When growth has nearly 
readied its desired limits, we check it by more air, and, 
if possible, less watering. For the first potting, use 
light sandy soil, with a little loaf mould. In succes- 
sional shiftings, increase the richness of the compost, 
until at last it may consist of nearly half two-year-old, 
well-decayed and dried cow-dung. 
Cochscomhs. —Those require more heat than Balsams. 
I'liey will enjoy a bottom-heat of from 75° to 80°, and 
an average night temjicrature of 05°, until the combs 
are nearly fully grown. For early combs, seeds should 
be sown in February or January. From seeds sown 
now lai'go combs could not bo easily obtained before 
the middle of July. In sowing the seeds, use sandy 
loam, and just cover, and no more. It will be advisable 
to place a bell-glass, or a square of glass over the pot, 
as several insects are excessively fond of them just when 
formiug the seed-leaf, and good seed is generally scarce, 
i have frequently hunted over splendid combs without 
finding a single seed. To save room, and future dis¬ 
appointment, as soon as they can bo handled, I prick the 
seedlings out in shallow pans. This soon causes them to 
show Qower; and you can easily judge, from its incipient 
state, what its future shape and colour will bo. The 
best are then potted in small pots first, and then into 
larger as soon as they want it, increasing the richness 
of the compost as the size of the jiot increases. A ton 
or a twelve-inch pot will grow a very handsome dwarf 
plant, with a largo comb. When tall plants are desirable, 
they must bo grown on from the first, and receive no 
stunting, cither in pans or small pots, to cause them to 
show their bloom prematurely. 
/ascefs. — There is little annoys either Balsams or 
Cockscombs, but tlie fly wdll sometimes attack them. A 
little tobacco smoke is the remedy. Fine green foliage 
sets off both tribes, and especially the latter. Gi-eat 
care, therefore, must be taken of any confined steam, 
and more especially if the sun should shine on the 
plants before it is dispersed. A blotched leaf would 
spoil the look of the finest Cockscomb. The remedy is, 
give air early, or leave a little all night. 
I find I cannot overtake all tliese jottings in one 
paper; allow me, in conclusion, to put in a few mere 
reminders. Calceolarias, to bloom in April and May, 
must have their last shift without delay. The soil 
should be light and rich ; an eight-inch pot will grow a 
nice specimen. Night temperature from 45° to 48°, and 
slight shade in very bright sunshine. Cinerarias in 
bloom, and coming into bloom, give manure waterings 
to them. Give immediately the last potting for those to 
bloom in IMay. Neither of tliese will stand so much 
dry air as Azaleas, and other hard-wooded plants. In 
bright days the shelves should be kept moist, and even 
the foliage syringed, provided there are no burning spots 
in the glass; if there is, shade instead. Einicris, done 
flowering, require to be pruned back, and all the decayed 
flowers cleaned off, and the plants set in a warm place 
until they make fresh wood. Hard-wooded plants, as a 
general rule, give most air to, and be careful neither to 
starve them for want of, nor saturate them with too , 
much moisture. Heaths the same; prune back those 
done flowering; let the others have the airiest part of ■ 
the house. Geraniums, scarlet, pot, and bring into light, 
from their winter quarters. Fuchsias, prune back, pre- ! 
paratory to potting. Give young jdauts of last season ■ 
a gentle heat. Cuttings of young shoots will now soon 
make plants if placed in a hotbed. Like the Scarlet 
Geranium, the Fuchsia may be grown on in a cool 
temperature, or during the first stages of growth it will 
stand nearly as much heat as a cucumber uninjured. 
Pelargoniums, train out the forwardest; shift the second 
advanced, which will bloom in June; stop the shoots of 
a third lot, to bo shifted three weeks hence, to come in 
July. Ixias and Gladiolus, pot late kinds; give more 
room, air, and light to those growing. Jajian Lilies, and 
others, fresh pot as soon as growth commences. Hot¬ 
beds, make for starting plants, sowing of annual and 
other seeds, and for grafting and other juirposes; and 
avoid extremes of heat and cold, shade and sunshine. 
11. Fish. 
THE BELAUGONIUM. 
{Ounliiiued from iiage 434.) 
SujiMER Treatment. —The young plants intended 
for exhibition having been jiotted and tied-out, as de¬ 
scribed in my last paper, they will require constant 
attention in watering, giving air to, and keeping clear 
of insects. Water should bo supplied freely whilst they 
remain in the greenhouse, because the sun and air will 
soon dry the mould in the pots. A degree of dryness is 
essential to the well-being of not only Bolargoniums, 
but all other plants not aquatics, j ust on the same prin¬ 
ciple that to bo an hungered is essential to the health of 
an animal, oven the human being. To be always 
watering, whether the plants require it or not, is sure to 
induce sickness, and yellow leaves, and ends in death. 
The direction, then, to water freely, implies that the 
plants require it to keep them growing and in health. 
As frequent waterings with pure water will, in time, carry 
off the initritive powers of the soil, it will be advisable, 
when that is so, to give a watering with liquid-manure, | 
which not only feeds the plant at that time, but renews, i 
partly, the nourishing power of the soil, i.et the ama¬ 
teur bear this in mind, and use this liquid Ibod every 
