RG 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 0. 
who have every advantage, and who must have plants 
by the thousand, but to those whose means are more 
limited, and who are content it' they can muster plants 
by the hundred, or the score. 
1st. These cannot be kept in the baskets and vases, 
in which they are now, in a dry state, similar to esta¬ 
blished geraniums of the scarlet group. The question, 
Why? was lately put. The answer was obvious:— 
First, these plants are not succulent, like the geranium, 
and, therefore, have not the same internal stored-up 
supply of juices to fall back upon; and, secondly, at no 
season will they bear the same amount of dryness, either 
in the roots or in the atmosphere. This will at once be 
apparent if it be recollected what was said of their native 
localities on the mountain sides of Peru, and where the 
melting of the snow far above them in summer would 
yet tend to keep the roots moderately moist, and the 
atmosphere approaching saturation point. Hence, in 
practice we find, that in seasons rather dry, it may be 
necessary to check luxuriance in the scarlet geranium 
by cutting roots, pulling off large leaves, and withhold¬ 
ing water; while in the case of the calceolaria, to main¬ 
tain them luxuriant and full of bloom, there must be a 
frequent and no-sparing application of the water-pail. 
Clear, dry seasons, with few heavy showers and 
boisterous winds, but with artificial watering at com¬ 
mand, are the circumstances in which these plants show 
off to the best advantage. Moisture must not be with¬ 
held even when in a comparatively dormant state in. 
winter, and light must be given in proportion to the 
moisture, or there will be danger of damping and 
rotting. Therefore, 
Mildly. These plants are easier preserved in the beds 
out-of-doors in which they now are than the scarlet 
Geranium. A waterproofed covering is not so essential, 
though even for them it would be useful, especially in 
continued cold rains, and sleets, and snows. The 
covering stuck among them should be of an open nature, 
such as fern; and in fine weather it should be pulled a 
little from the plants, and put close again in frost. 
Damp will seldom do them any harm, provided there 
is air in motion. By these means I have frequently 
saved fine plants; but I never managed a bed without 
having some breaks in it, or which, if left to itself, did 
not grow unequally during the following season. The 
last winter might be deemed an exception, as there was 
hardly enough of frost anywhere hereabouts to kill 
these plants, though without any protection whatever. 
Gorgeous as such plants looked in the first part of the 
season, yet, taking the whole summer and autumn 
through, the greatest attention could hardly make them 
companionable by the sides of young plants, or those 
that had been lifted and planted again. Even in the 
case of those saved by protection in beds and baskets, 
it would always be advisable to lift and plant again in 
April or the beginning of May, as thus a more regular 
I outline can be given to the plants, and a fresh place or 
! fresh soil allotted to them. Hence 
3rdly. It would be advisable to lift the plant at 
once, whenever the weather is threatening, generally 
some time in November, though they will frequently 
remain uninjured to the end of December. The weather, 
; not the time, must be our criterion. The longer they 
remain unlifted, the less will be our trouble with them, 
j and it is seldom that the first night’s frost, though a 
little severe, does them much harm—as the flowers and 
the top part ol the plant protect what is lower—and 
when we lift, we run over all the flowers, and tho top 
part of the plant, at any rate, leaving nice little bushes, 
just small or large in proportion to the room we can 
give them. Now, this raising of the plants pre-sup- 
poses that we have some place in which to put them. 
It is not of so much consequence what kind of a recep¬ 
tacle it be, whether an earth or a turf-pit, a brick-pit, or 
; a wooden frame, or even a large-windowed room, where a 
damp floor would be no object, the worst place of all being 
the attempting it in the window of a sitting-room, where 
a cosy fire is maintained, especially if the plants have 
not been growing in pots. If in pots previously, they 
will stand very well, with a frequent dusting over of the 
foliage with water, and keeping the surface of the soil 
covered with damp moss. The best of all is a bed such 
as I described last week for the Geranium, with a little 
dung underneath, but the treatment must be different. 
Wherever put, except there is part of a stage of a cool 
greenhouse to appropriate, or where the window is all the 
convenience, the plants, after pruning, should be lifted 
with a spade or fork, and taken with the most of the 
earth that will adhere to the roots, and planted in the 
receptacle at once, in light sandy soil. They may be 
crammed rather thickly, but you must give them more 
room before finally transferring them to the open garden 
again. The soil must be moist, or rendered so after 
planting, with some a little drier on the surface. The 
use of such hibernatory, is, that half-hardy plants will, 
in general, do much better, than if not protected whei’e 
they grew, while having everything we wish to keep in 
a small compass, is a saving of time and labour, and 
enables us to do what we like with beds and boxes in 
winter. For covering such beds, however made, glass is j 
best, next wood, next straw covers, rendered waterproof, 
and then asphalt, with material in readiness to throw 
over in very severe weather. In my own experience, I 
have always found that such plants, planted, did much 
better then when they were potted, chiefly owing, I 
believe, to the uniform degree of moisture they thus 
enjoy, and so productive are they in fibrous root, that 
they* suffer little afterwards from transplanting. The 
only superiority of the bed with the hot dung beneath 
it, is that roots are at once encouraged, and thus there is 
less risk of a failure; but with every make-shift of a 
covering, provided it could keep out heavy rains, I have 
succeeded, where the plants were closely packed with 
earth, without any bottom-lieat whatever. With or 
without this dung beneath, the plants being planted, the 
future management must be different from the Gera¬ 
niums; in fact, a division should be placed between them. 
1st. The soil must be moister; and on a sunny day, 
the plants should be syringed to keep the tops moist. 
2ndly. Air should be given when the external air is 
above freezing; even in very muggy weather the lights 
and coverings, though not removed, should be tilted up 
back and front, so as to allow the air freely to percolate; 
the damp air doing no damage whatever so long as not 
confined. Even though the covering be opaque, such as 
wood, or asphalt, the tilting of the covering will give 
enough of light. Night and day, fair weather and foul, 
they should never be entirely shut up, except when cold 
and frosty, and then when shut up close, and the tops 
dry, the lowness of the temperature prevents all danger. 
Let the roots grow as they will, the object should be 
to keep the tops fresh, but not growing, until the middle 
of March. But is this the best mode of saving plants j 
for vases, baskets, and flower beds? Yes, if you have 
done nothing to render yourself independent of old 
plants; for, though aware that with a hotbed you may 
obtain plants from cuttings in a fortnight in March or 
April, you must have some source whence you can 
obtain these cuttings, and the best friends are not too 
liberal then. If, however, you took care to insert cut- j 
tings as advised in September, then 
ordly. Looking after them is the most profitable and 
economical course you can adopt. The most of them 
will now be nicely rooted, and nice stiff little plants, it 
struck in a north border. They will require much less 
room than large plants, and if anything like the same 
space should be given them, before final planting-time 
they will equal, and in most cases excel, the old ones. 
