4G0 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
March 17 
good kinds, will always furnish a healthy and brilliant 
display. 
OiNERAiuAS.—I mention these again because they are 
so useful for adorning gi-eeuhouscs at all times, cxcejit 
in the hottest suininer and autumn months. Green-lly 
should be looked after in that case. To bloom in October 
and November, so\y, at the end of this or the beginning 
of next month. After June, they may either be plunged 
or planted on a north border, and inured to full light in 
September. Sow every mouth for succession. The be¬ 
ginning of September will be early enough for ])lants to 
bloom in j\Iay. Aj)proved kinds, designed for speci¬ 
mens in the middle of May, should receive their last 
shift without delay. The soil should have more loam 
than the Calceolarias, as if the soil is very light the 
flower-stems are not so com])act. The geireral treatment 
has frequently been given. For these pet plants, just 
as for the Calceolarias, a cool, moist medium for standing 
on will be an advantage—such as boards or slate kept 
moist, or covered with a layer of damp moss that has 
previously passed through an ordeal of water near the 
boiling point to make sure of giving all snails and 
insects a quietus. 
Fuchsias. —Who does not love them? All the outs 
and ins as to successful modes of culture would require 
a little volume, and then would, to a great extent, be a 
repetition of former statements. It is one of the most 
patient of plants, as it will stand a great amount of 
cold short of a sharp frost, and during the first stages of ' 
growth the heat that would suit a cucumber would not 
annoy it. Many will have started some plants at least 
a mouth ago. Many, with little room, may bo waiting to 
do so. To suit different circumstances, I will just glance 
at different modes that may be successfully adopted. 
1st. Here are some large plants just breaking their ■ 
buds; they have been kept beneath the stage of a 
greenhouse, or near a window in a stable or garret, and 
it is desirable to have abundance of bloom from them, at 
farthest, by July. Well, merely take off the points and 
decayed parts of the old shoots, leaving the bulk of the 
old bead untouched ; shake the most of the old earth 
from the roots, dip the roots in a pail of water, allow to 
drain, and then repot in rich light rough soil, and place, 
at first, in a shady part of the greenhouse. The object 
of dipping the roots in the pail is to fill them with 
moisture, and thus little water will require to be given 
to the soil until fresh roots freely are ramifying through 
it. By this mode you will secure a minimum of fresh 
growth, and a maximum of blossom, and early too, with 
but little trouble. Of course, as growth proceeds, more 
light and air must be given. But 
Sndly. These old plants may not break regularly, as 
you wish to have a very handsome specimen, though it ' 
should not bloom until September. In that case, cut 
the plant down to the ground, and when it shoots, select 
one shoot, or five or six, according as you wish a one- 
stem pyramid or a bush. In either case, if the shoot 
threatens to lengthen too much, without throwing out a 
sufficiency of side-shoots, nip out the point of the leader, 
but look carefully in time after another one, and see 
that no side-shoot becomes strong enough to be a rival 
leader. In these cases, it is best to allow the young 
shoot or shoots to grow at least six inches in length 
before you reshift. If you could give the plants, after 
potting, a bottom heat of GO", they would grow stronger, 
and bloom earlier than if confined all the time after 
shifting to the greenhouse. In both these cases, fre¬ 
quent dustings over the foliage, with the syringe, will 
bo bettor than allowing the new soil to be saturated 
before the roots are occiqiying it. Intermediate cases, 
as respects cutting-in, will require corresponding treat¬ 
ment. As a general rule, the severer the lopping, the 
longer you must be content to wait for a dense mass of 
flowers. 
3rdly.—There are a number of plants, from two to : 
three feet high, grown with one stem, ipyraiuidal fashion, i 
last season; and it is wished to have tliem of the same ' 
shai)e, hut much larger, during the present year. Keej) | 
this in view in jiruning; have three or more buds on your i 
lowest shoots, two in-layers above, and then only one, ! 
and shorten the leading point of last year to one-third | 
or one-half, according as you can dejiend upon its break¬ 
ing regularly. To secure this latter desideratum in the 
case of all the buds you have left, syringe the stem 
frequently with tepid water, and, in obstinate cases, even 
lay the plant on the ground, turning it round every day. 
When the young shoots are one inch in length, repot, 
and keep close, and a little shaded afterwards. Could 
you put such ])lants in a house, where they could have 
a moist atmosjdiere, and a temperature at night of from ' 
.')n° to 00° until the middle of June, you might have j 
fine specimens in the middle of July. In a cool, airy i 
greenhouse you would have to wait until August. 
4tbly.—Here are a number of young plants that were 
struck last autumn, and have been kept all' the winter 
on the front shelf of a greenhouse, and now they are 
nice stubby stuff, from six to nine inches high. Now 
these kept repotted would make very pretty plants hy 
August, even if kept in the greenhouse ; but if a 
bottom-heat of 00° to 70° could be given these plants 
in February and March, and continued on until the 
middle of May, splendid luxuriant specimens would be 
procured by the middle of July ; as the moving of the 
plants from the closeish pit, or house, to the more airy 
and close greenhouse, would lessen the growing, and 
give an impetus to the flowering principle. Hmall plants 
started now would not bloom so soon, unless they were 
cramped in their pots, and taken to the greenhouse 
earlier. Time is thus gained, but eare and labour are 
increased. I.,et it not be forgotten, that it is only at an 
early period that this extra coddling with heat will suit; 
as the plants progress, they cannot have too free an 
exposure in an open airy greenhouse. Even when 
coddled with extra heat, they should have no shade, 
unless when newly potted. I have frequently practised 
all these modes, and have had very splendid plants from 
the last method. There are just a few points more. 
Propagation .—Young shoots, taken off now, when two 
inches in length, and inserted in sandy soil, under a 
bell-glass, and plunged in a medium bottom-heat, will 
strike root in a few days. These, potted off, kept under 
glass until June, and then in a sheltered place out-of- 
doors, will make nice ornaments for the greenhouse from 
September and onwards. 
Soil .—Two parts rough fibry-loam, one dried decayed 
cowdung or leaf-mould, and one of sand and charcoal, 
giving more roughness and less sand as the pots and 
plants increase in size. Drainage must be well attended 
to. In the case of new and delicate kinds it will bo 
advisable to add peat earth and silver sand. After the 
plants are in bloom frequent surface-dressings of well 
decayed dung will he appreciated. 
Watering .—After growth has fairly' commenced, and 
the roots are working in the fresh soil, the plants must 
never sufler from drought. In hot weatlier they may 
require refreshing twice-a-day, unless large pots are 
used. Weak manure-waterings are indispensable to 
fine foliage and large flowers, but it should not be given 
so freely until the flower-buds are appearing. I hardly 
know what is best: I have found guano, superphosjiato 
of lime, sheepdung, cowdung, soot, &c., all good; hut 
err on the safe side as to strength. Three ounces of 
good guano will do for five gallons. 
Japan Iui.if.s.—T o bloom in the greenhouse in au¬ 
tumn, such as lAUuni lanoifulium aUnmi; L. lancifoUuni 
speciosuni ruhrum; L. lancifoUuvi pntnetatum, and other 
common kinds, such as L. eximiuni, japonicuni, kc. In 
autumn shows there are frequent discussions as to the 
