128 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
j soft shoots, when it is intended, as in the case referred 
I to, to keep them in a dormant state. Young plants can 
! never be so kept. It is true the plants have no nice 
1 appearance in winter, and therefore, none should see 
I them, but those who, looking beyond to-day, can see 
their bare, unsightly stems, clothed again with verdure. 
Calceolarias. — Potting and Propagating. —Says the 
same friend, “ Lifting old Calceolarias is not much 
I better than Geraniums; the best way to manage them 
is that given by you, namely, to strike them under a 
frame or liandlight, in the middle ol October, and let 
them stand there for the winter. Lew would take the 
trouble to lift old plants, if they knew they corild winter 
from eighty to ninety under a common hand-light, with 
no more trouble in the spring than just planting them 
in their summer quarters. Those thus treated beat all 
those hollow that were taken up, potted, and nursed in 
the house all winter.” In these remarks I almost 
entirely agree, except as respects the plants standing so 
thick until planting time. The treatment described as 
suitable for old plants was merely to meet unfavourable 
circumstances. Instead of old Calceolarias not doing 
much better, I think they do much worse than old 
Geraniums. The article on Calceolarias by some mis¬ 
take has not come to hand, and I can only recollect its j 
purport. I can say that a young plant now two inches , 
in height, and well-rooted, not kept with a great many 
more in a hand-light, but getting half the room and 
attention that a plant a foot over, and from that to 
fifteen inches in height, lifted and saved would require, 
would thoroughly beat that large old plant by the end 
of April following. I have done little with potting old 
Calceolarias for years. I find it better, after pruning 
somewhat freely, to pack them in beds closely for the 
winter, as lately detailed. These, if I want them, are 
transplanted again about March, so as to give them 
more room; but what I value them most for, is the 
cuttings they yield in spring, as these young plants, 
struck in September, October, and November, flower all 
the earlier and better for not being stopped or shortened 
at all. In fact, some of the best of these shrubby 
Calceolarias for vases, baskets, &c., will not bloom until 
after Midsummer, if the shoots are shortened for obtain¬ 
ing cuttings. On the other hand, cuttings from these 
old plants, inserted in March and April, and well- 
managed in a slight hotbed, will in a fortnight, not only 
yield you nice plants, but many of them showing for 
trusses of bloom. The greater part of these, as well as 
autumn-struck plants, we generally contrive to trans¬ 
plant into intermediate beds, before consigning them to 
the bed, basket, or vase, in which they are to remain 
during the summer. 
Propagating Shrubby Calceolarias. —Waving, at 
present, other matters suggested by correspondents, 
respecting shrubby Calceolarias and the best kinds, I 
will conclude this by briefly noticing the mode of pro¬ 
pagation I have adopted for these two years, as a gentle¬ 
man looking at the strike the other day was shrewd 
enough to perceive and to say, “ but you do not strike 
them under hand-glasses, though.” This was true enough, 
for I had not got any to spare; but whether the result 
is to be traced to the want of them, or whether it would 
not even been greater with them, the reader will best 
judge. A piece of ground on the north side of a range 
of sheds was decided upon. This was made firm, and 
sloping considerably from south to north. On this was 
placed fully an inch of rough cinder ashes, mixed with 
lime and a little salt. This being patted down, over 
it was placed a couple of inches of leaf-mould and 
road-drift, mixed with a little lime, and watered with 
clear lime-water, the object being to give every worm a 
quietus, or flit him as an emigrant. Over this was 
placed one inch-and-a-half of finer road-drift, mixed 
with the finer sand that may be washed from such drift, 
November 27 . ! 
destitute, as we had reason to believe, of worms ;—some 
dusty charcoal would have been added, only we had got 
on the poverty list. Well, there being no frame handy, 
something was wanted to support some old lights over : 
the cuttings, and two old straightish fir trees, one at the I 
back, another at the front—one cut in two forming the 1 
two ends—constituted altogether a snug little pit, or box, : 
there being no rafters, the old sashes rested on the 
trees back and front. On this bed, then, the cuttings 
were inserted, about one inch-and-a-half apart in the 
row, and two-and-a-half from row to row, the cuttings 
averaging two or three inches from the glass. Last 
season there was not one per cent, failed. With one sort 
this season I have not been so fortunate; and that too 
a great favourite, the Kentish Hero. It was placed at 
one of the ends, and before it was perceived, the ground 
had trickled away from the trees, and left an open space 
for the air freely to enter. Most of them, however, will 
strike still, and in case they do not, a few more have 
been inserted within this fortnight I would more readily 
strike Calceolarias in November than in July or August. 
Of all the other sorts, scarcely one missed. Well-watered 
when inserted in the middle and end of September, they 
were never watered afterwards. In some sunny days 
they had a skifly dew from the syringe. No shading 
was given them. The plants being too thick to be 
trusted with so little slope, part have been transferred 
to temporary boxes, to be transplanted again in spring, 
and part have been transferred to a similar contrivance 
as the home in which they were struck, but with a 
southern exposure, and much thinner, plant from plant. 
Calceolarias will stand an amount of damp atmosphere 
that would be ruinous to many other things. Such 
plants pricked out now, if they have fair success in 
winter will, in general, far outstrip old plants kept over 
the winter, for all purposes during the following season. 
Still, those who have not such young plants, will do well 
to take care of some old ones in the way recommended, 
either for the sake of the plants themselves, or for pro 
pagating in spring. R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC STOVE PLANTS. 
Sericographis Giiiesbreghtiana. —A plant belong¬ 
ing to the large Natural Order Acantliads ; an order in 
which are found some of the greatest ornaments of our 
stoves. We need only mention the Aphelandras, 
Eranthemums, and Justitias, to bear out the assertion. 
This plant, with the almost unpronounceable name, was 
first known as an Aphelandra, but has been changed by 
an unquestionable authority to the name under which we 
now present it to the notice of those readers who are cul¬ 
tivators of stove plants. In the course of a long journey in 
the northern parts of Britain we have met with it exceed¬ 
ingly well cultivated, and presenting a truly handsome 
appearance. The flowers are tubular, and of a bright 
red colour, produced from the axils of the leaves in 
loose racemes. For the winter bouquet they are in- ! 
valuable, the plants affording a good supply of flowers [ 
for a considerable period. There are few plants, also, 
that surpass it in beauty as an ornament for the plant- 
stove, if well managed. There was here last autumn a 
plant of it that measured three feet high, and two-and-a- 
half feet through, covered with bloom. It was an object 
of great beauty, and was much admired. Plants of this 
size are somewhat difficult to produce; but they may be 
managed even to surpass such a specimen by close 
attention to the following instructions. 
Culture: Propagation. —lake all the order this plant 
is easily propagated by cuttings. The young shoots 
make the best. Where plentiful, the tops of the shoots 
need only be used; but a single leaf, with a bud at its 
