December 11 . THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 165 
house ; but even then, if there is no division, the neglect 
of opening the sashes for a few hours, at times, will be 
of great injury to the heaths, as nothing is so prejudicial 
to them as a confined atmosphere, and at all high in 
temperature. When one house, therefore, has to he 
kept gay at all times, and there are not proper places in 
which to keep heaths, when growing and after blooming, 
gardeners, willing or unwilling, are forced to admit 
them sparingly. Hence, I have previously recommended 
amateurs, in such circumstances, to bestow their atten¬ 
tion upon the Epacris tribe rather than on heaths, as 
they will bear and thrive under similar treatment, as 
respects atmosphere and heat, that suits the generality 
of free-growing, free-flowering plants usually grown in 
such houses, while one thing in their favour is, that they 
will mostly all bloom freely in winter and spring. In 
several respects the treatment required for them, as 
previously given, especially so far as propagation and 
soil are concerned, is similar to that required by heaths. 
With these preliminary hints in the way of caution, I 
shall give an outline of the treatment that heaths 
require, leaving it to our friends to possess such beauties 
or not, being well aware that many minds are so con¬ 
stituted as never to feel so much pleasure as in grappling 
with and surmounting the difficult. 
1. As respects Propagation. —This is effected, first, 
by seeds, for increasing the species and securing hy¬ 
brids; some of the very best in cultivation have been so 
obtained. Secondly, by cuttings, for increasing the 
species or particular variety. 
Seeds. —The most of the species from the Cape Colony 
were thus at first introduced, and, as remarked above, 
our best hybrids have thus been raised at home. There 
is something very pleasing in cultivating the plants, 
seeds of which have been sown by ourselves. Many of 
our readers may have friends at the Cape, or possessed 
of heatheries at home, from whence seeds might be 
obtained. Home-raised ones would be preferable, unless 
gathered at the Cape by an experienced hand. In sowing 
there are several circumstances to be attended to. 
Time of Sowing. —All things considered, I prefer the 
end of February, or the beginning of March, as, if the 
seeds germinate freely, there will be time for the plants 
to be pricked out or inserted in small pots, and some¬ 
what taken with the soil before winter. The fresher 
the seeds are, if well-ripened, and kept free from 
damp, the quicker in general will they germinate. I 
do not know how long the seeds will keep, but have seen 
them grow pretty freely after being three years gathered. 
If one time is better than another for sowing, therefore, 
there will be little danger of the seeds keeping. The 
seeds of some kinds lie much longer in the ground than 
others; some not coming up within a twelve-month; 
and, in their case, sowing in summer and autumn would 
be desirable, as the plants would then appear at the 
best time of the season. Even in the case of free-ger¬ 
minating kinds, I have seen seeds saved from the same 
plant and sown in February germinating in July, others 
making their appearance in September, and others, 
again, appearing in the spring following, all in the 
same seed-pan. Whilst, therefore, indicating what we 
consider to be the best time, we would not greatly object 
to any period. The rule to be drawn from what we 
have said, is to wait patiently after sowing, and not in 
dudgeon to cast the seed-pans on the rubbish-heap, be¬ 
cause the plants refuse to come in two or three months. 
2. Vessels and Materials in which to Sow, and Mode 
of Solving. —These are simple matters, but not wanting 
in importance. Shallow wide pans are generally re¬ 
commended, from three to four inches deep, and half 
filled with drainage. However useful and suitable 
these may be for nurserymen, I do not consider them 
the best for private gardeners and amateurs. It is 
rarely they want to fill a pan with one kind, and they 
germinate so unequally that if many kinds were sown 
in one pan some would require pricking-off before the 
others germinate. I prefer, on this account, to sow 
each sort in a pot large or small, according to the 
quantity of seeds. Besides, I prefer pots to pans just 
because they are deeper. It is an easy matter so to fill 
these pots with common drainage, moss, charcoal, &c., 
as to reach as near the top as you would desire in the 
shallowest pans before putting on the surface-soil. The 
advantage of the deeper space beneath is, that the 
materials there better insure an equilibrium of moisture 
in the soil above,—a matter of first-rate importance 
here. In choosing pots, I prefer soft-burned ones, just 
because I rather wish their sides to possess a sponge-like 
quality; though, for general purposes, I pass them by. 
The first thing to be done, is to place something over the 
hole in the bottom of the pot, so that a worm shall be 
unable to enter; over this coarse potsherds, mixed with 
some charcoal as drainage, and a small quantity of half- 
decayed moss, until you reach within two inches of the 
top of the pot, the drainage becoming finer as you 
ascend, until it is little larger than peas. Over this 
place a slight layer of half-decayed moss, and then fully 
half-an-inch of rough, fibry, sandy peat; over this a 
layer finer, and then another finely sifted, consisting 
of equal parts peat and sand, and a small propor¬ 
tion of charcoal bruised as fine. Press the surface 
even, and then water freely, or, better still, set the 
pots upright in a tub of rain-water, the water rising 
over their tops. When thus thoroughly wetted, set 
them out to drain ; and when the surface again becomes 
dryish, after levelling it with a round piece of board, 
sow the seeds regularly over the surface, and somewhat 
thickish, taking care previously that the soil is from 
one-quarter to one-eighth-of-an-inch below the level of 
the top of the pot. Press them down slightly into the 
soil with the above-mentioned board, and scatter the 
slightest portion of sandy peat over them, better none 
than too much, and just dew them again with a little 
water, place a glass over the pot, and cover that with a 
paper to prevent evaporation of moisture, and to prevent 
the surface being dried with the sun. Watering must 
be given with great care, and here the pots are found 
superior to the pans, for if plunged in ashes, or moss 
that has been previously soaked in boiling water to 
destroy all insects, the watering of that material will 
prevent the necessity of much watering at the surface. 
After sowing the best place is a close cool frame or pit, 
where the temperature will seldom be below 40° in 
winter, and which will be protected from the fierceness 
of the summer sun. During that period, if the lights 
face the north it will be all the better. Of course, in a 
small way, all this may be managed by means of a 
handlight in the smallest greenhouse. The great thing 
is to prevent the surface-soil from ever being what 
might be termed wet or dry, and the mode recommended 
is about the best for these and other small seeds that 
require a considerable time to germinate. 
3. After Treatment. —As soon as the plants appear, 
more air and light must be given them by degrees, 
shading only in bright sunshine. When from one-half 
to one inch in height, they must be pricked out round 
the sides of small pots. If in winter, a little dusty 
charcoal may be blown in among them, and the plants 
allowed to stand until spring. Before pricking off they 
will want watering several times, and this is best done 
with a small-spouted pot; the water being poured on a 
piece of glass, or anything of that sort, so that it covers 
the surface of the pot regularly without holeing it. I 
prefer pricking them round the sides of small-sized pots, 
instead of pans, or into the smallest thumb pots, for 
reasons previously given. In winter they must be kept 
near the glass, and in a uniform state as respects 
moisture. This will be facilitated if the pots are again 
