12C 
THE COTTAGE GABUENER. 
November 20, 
young shoots may he ripened enough to swell the flower- 
buds at this point before the end of autumn. 
Soil —Peat and loam, in equal quantities, with a little 
leaf-mould, and bits of charcoal, broken pots, and silver 
sand mixed with it, to keep it open, in addition to good 
drainage. 
General Treatment.—V)o everything to encourage 
growth at first. A moist heat, such as would suit Cu¬ 
cumbers and Melons, will just suit it for a short time. 
The flow'er corymbs will not be large until the plant is | 
two or three years old Supposing that gro^yth was com- , 
menced in the early spring month, the moisture in the 
atmosphere must be discontinued after midsummer, and | 
air given more liberally, the leaves fully exposed to sun- i 
shine under glass. By the end of August, unobstructed j 
light will ripen the buds, but the pot must be protected ; 
from the rays of the sun. When thus hardened, it will , 
keep very well in a temperature of 4o°, but if the flower- | 
buds are swelling and opening it will require 10’=' more. | 
The difficulty of managing it in a cool, common green- , 
house, arises not from the fact of the cold for short j 
periods in winter, so much as from the low temperature 
in spring, and very likely the shade necessary for other ; 
plants in summer, which operates against the growth 
and ripening of the young wood sufficiently early. The - 
plant which thrives so well in the conservatory, at Turn- i 
ham Green, has a great amount of light all the summer. 
Spring suns will also raise the temperature considerably, 
and the roots that are in the bed of earth are saved 
from many extremes. 
DAPHNE ODOEA. 
“ Flora shortened these according to rule, in July, to 
make them bushy, and though there were plenty of ^ 
young shoots, there is not a trace of a bloom-bud. How j 
are they to be produced for this winter and spring?” ; 
That is more than I can tell. I wmuld advise keeping j 
them cool in winter, but green, and turn them out early | 
next summer, and most likely all the points of the shoots | 
will bo furnished with buds for the winter of 1850 aud 
the spring of 1857. After that, give what stopping and 
pruning the plants want in April and May, or earlier, if 
the plants have bloomed earlier. Let them stand a few 
days—a week or so—in greenhouse temperature, then 
place them in a moist heat, to encourage growth; when 
growing, shift into loam and peat, the greater part being : 
loam; place again in a close, humid atmospliere; by the 
end of July admit more air, and, by-and-by, expose the | 
plants fully to the sun, without even the intervention of ; 
glass; and thus every shoot almost wall be provided j 
with flower-buds. House in good time in October. 
“An Ardent Admirer” wishes the outlines of the 
culture of the following, all of which I think have 
already been given. 
AOTUS GEACILLIMA. 
Proj)a(iation .—Cuttings root freely from March to 
June, in sand, under a bell-glass. 
Soil .—Sandy fibry loam and peat, well drained. 
Prune rather close in when the plant has done bloom¬ 
ing. Keep the plant in a closeish warm end of the 
greenhouse, or in a pit, until the young shoots are a 
couple of inches long, when examining of the drainage, 
aud repotting again, if necessary, may be done. Re¬ 
place in similar position, until the roots and tops 
are again growing freely, then gradually give more 
air. Expose the plant freely to the sun in the autumn 
months, but protect the pot from the strong rays. 
Syringe frequently, wdien the shoots are breaking and 
growing; water carefully with soft w’ater. Little, com¬ 
paratively, wall be wanted in winter, and the tempera¬ 
ture from fire-heat may average about 45*^, with a rise 
of from 8° to 15° from sunshine. 
t 
rODOLOBIUM TEILOBATUM. 
The chief difficulty in growing this plant, and all 
others with the termination lohium, consists in keeping 
the soil neither in a dry nor a sodden state about the 
roots, and in that state which may be called neither wet 
nor dry, inwdnter. These circumstances are best secured 
by good drainage. A pot not over large, and good, 
fibry peat, with nearly an equal portion of charcoal bits, 
broken pots, and silver sand incorporated with it. 
Propagate by seed sown in a hotbed, or by firmish 
young shoots inserted in sand, under a bell-glass, in IMay, 
and kept in a cool place. These may remain in the 
cutting-pots, or be placed three in a small pot until 
the following spring, when they may be potted singly. 
Plants of this kind, or a plant brought in, or a ]ilant 
pruned in a little after flowering, should be kept in a 
close end of the greenhouse, or a cold pit near the glass, 
to encourage growth ; should have more air gradually 
given; and have as much light as possible by August. 
Let the pot be screened by the sun, as the roots are 
very sensitive; be freely supplied with water, when 
growing, and less towards autumn, and often syringed 
over head in the mornings and evenings, when break¬ 
ing and growing; obtain a good place in the greenhouse 
by the 1st of October; be carefully watered during 
winter. Kept in double pots, such as it may have had 
in summer, stufied with moss between, and that moss 
kept moistish, would prevent the necessity of watering 
the soil often; and a temperature from 40° to 48° at 
night, taking care that a cold frosty air does not blow' 
over it before it has been softened and w'armed, will 
be found the chief essentials to success. 
BOEONIA SEEEULATA. 
This, and the others referred to, “ have been kept in a 
cool greenhouse ; the leaves of Sernilata are falling and 
looking yellow.” In the thirteenth volume will be found 
a good article on this plant, by Mr. Appleby; and in the 
eighth volume, No. 194, is another article on the same 
subject. This is one of the very nicest plants, but re¬ 
quires great care. A defect in drainage, a cold, rich 
soil, too much water about tbe roots, and too much dry¬ 
ness, and too low a temperature, either in winter or 
spring, will produce the evils complained of. Hence 
the plant has hardly a fair chance in a cool greenhouse. 
In a common greenhouse it will have a better chance, 
as in spring, after blooming, it could be placed at the 
closest and warmest end, with no air but from the top of 
the house, and more air and exposure given afterwards. 
A draught of cold air is disliked at any time. Failing 
this ability to keep it close in the spring and early sum¬ 
mer months in the greenhouse, a pit or frame, with the 
suitable conditions, or aVinery, or Peach-house, at w'ork, 
would be the suitable place for it. By August and Sep¬ 
tember it will require an opener position, to ripen the 
wood, and the more quickly the wood w'as forced into 
growth, the better chance will it have to be perfectly 
ripened, and, consequently, the less will it suffer from 
cold in winter, though even then it should seldom be 
below 45°, and would like as well if it were near 50° 
A great many New Holland iilants, though hardy enough 
for our greenhouse in winter, must have the advantage 
of a warmer climate as soon as they have finished 
flowering, to perfect their growth, and get it ripened more 
quickly. When growing, the plants must bo shaded 
from bright sunshine. The finest-looking plants I ever 
saw were growing in a temperature that would have 
suited Orchids almost. These, when duly hardened off, 
would, no doubt, bloom freely; but such plants, gal¬ 
loped so fast into growth, seldom survive long, unless 
great care is taken of them. Next to the matter of tem- 
I perature, is that of soil and watering. The drainage 
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