November 14. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
119 
portion of unhealthy or very confined vapour from the 
fermenting material will be sure to scald the leaves. 
With these preliminaries, l shall just glance at a fow 
of the miimtiro of culture, in the hope that our corres¬ 
pondent and other’s, who have been disappointed, will 
have a more pleasing tale to tell us next season. 
1. Ripening. —After blooming well for some time, the 
plant will begin to got the worse for wear, telling us 
unmistakably that “its mission - ’ for that season is 
accomplished. Wo then naturally remove it from a 
prominent position. Now, this very season, I have 
frequently seen such plants kicking about in open places 
out-of-doors — tho sun and the rain being allowed to 
contend for the honour of ripening, or of causing a 
second weakly growth. As soon as some of the leaves 
begin to wither and shrivel, and the blooms to bo very 
thin, wo should gently assist the plant to ripen 
gradually by placing it full in tho sun, giving just as 
much water at first as would prevent shrivelling and 
flagging, and gradually lessening tho quantity, until, as 
the leaves brown, the soil becomes quite dry. Now, for 
these objects, the position is a matter of first importance. 
Under a protection of glass, however rude the con¬ 
trivance, is best, because there is no danger of rains. 
Next to that is close to a wall, or fence, facing the 
south, where the plants and pots may havo the full 
force of the sun, and means easily adopted, such as a 
board or a slate, for throwing rains past the pot. In 
either of theso positions, the pots should stand long 
after the foliage and stems are withered ; in fact, until 
tho cold nights of autumn would render their remaining 
longer daugerous; as it is safest, even when tho tubers 
are in this dry state, not to expose them for long inter¬ 
vals below 45°. 
2. Resting in Winter. —From 45° to a few degrees 
higher will be a very suitable temperature. A state of 
dryness should be continued, but the tubers will bo all 
the better to be well covered with soil. [ havo kept 
them in the pots in which they grow, laid on their sides 
on a floor below a stage, or any convenient place; but, 
as that plan takes up room, and holds more pots in use 
than 1 can generally spare, 1 more commonly empty out 
every pot of one kind, especially where there are many 
of them, and place the tubers thickly in one pot, or in a 
shallow box, allowing them to remain in either recep¬ 
tacle until I wish them to start in growth in February, 
March, and April, just as I see that 1 can find a suitable 
place, and a suitable temperature for them. 
3. Growing. — If left in pots, one pot or more is placed 
in heat, and in a couple of days or so is watcrod with 
clear water at from 70° to 80° ; or the tubers are picked 
out, either from tho pot or the store box, and laid on 
fresh soil in a shallow pan, and then eovorod with a 
little more soil. You will not have to wait very many 
days until their fresh stems begin to manifest themselves ; 
especially, if, though giving no bottom-heat, you place a 
hand-light or bell-glass over the pan or pot., which will 
so far concentrate the heat. In either case, do not 
saturate the soil in which the tubors are placed until 
they begin to swell freely. A temperature approaching 
00° at night, with a rise of from 10° to 15° and 20° in 
fine days, will grow them admirably. When the shoots 
are thus started from two to four inches in length, the 
tubers will be well rooted, and this is the time l prefer 
for potting in the llowering-pots; having previously 
secured good, well aired and warmed soil, consisting 
chiefly of fibry loam and leaf-mould, with a little peat 
and silver-sand, and some dried nodules of old cow-dung 
placed over tho drainage, consisting chiefly of charcoal 
and moss. I prefer this plan to putting the tubers in j 
the llowering-pots before starting them, as you can better 
regulate the symmetry of tho future potful, from being 
able to select the stronger plants for one pot, or for 
placing these systematically in the centre with weaker 
ones all round. There is no rule for the numbers of tubers 
in a pot. I have had a fine-looking plant from one tuber 
in a 5-inch pot; a more massive display from six tubers 
in a similar pot; or a dozen or fifteen in a 12-inch ; and 
somo of my triends think nothing of a couplo of dozen in 
a large pot; the chief thing for the growor to determine, 
being whether he will have a dense mass with the blooms 
chiefly on the outside, or tho shoots so thin that tho 
bloom on thorn may have room to expand all through 
the plant. However potted, they must now receive a 
fair portion of water at tho roots, but none, or very little, 
over tho foliage; and until the plants get strong enough 
to permit them to show bloom, they will be better from , 
being slightly shaded, and then be inured to more direct 
light by degrees. When growing freely, a moist atmos¬ 
phere is their delight. By blooming time, not only more 
light will be required, but more air and less moisture in 
the atmosphere will be demanded. If from dust or 
insects it should bo deemed necessary to syringe the 
plants at all, the foliage should be dry before the sun 
strikes it with force. The green-fly will sometimes make 
its appearance, and if so, good shag tobacco should be 
used for fumigating, and weak doses given, and taking j 
care previously that the foliage is dry. 1 have seen a j 
whole pit of flourishing plants injured for tho season by 
using a middling dose, for strength, of rough tobacco i 
paper. Though, as 1 have staled, tho plant will retain its 
bloom in a closish greenhouse in summer, yet, through 
the whole of its stages, blooming included, it delights j 
in a closer and moister atmosphere than would suit the 
generality of greenhouse plants in summer. 
5. Ixora Griffith u-— -“ 1 have a good plant, which 
has sont up two new shoots; tho wood seems well ripened, 
and one of the shoots appears to be growing again ; 1 
have not bloomed it yet, but hope to do so next year, as 
I have a pit-frame heated by hot-water, and a tank,' ! 
upon the lid of which l hope to get sufficient bottom- ! 
heat lor tho purpose.” We hope so, too. 1 have not j 
grown Grijfitkii, but from its appearance, 1 presume it j 
will require treatment similar to others in this splendid 
family. The well ripening of your shoots now is a 
great thing, it is doubtful if the starting of a new j 
shoot now, be any advantage. The blooms, when they 
do come, have little of their usual brilliancy in the 
winter months. Preserving the plant in full health, 
rather than growing it, must now be tho object. For 1 
this purpose, a dryish stove-plant-house, with an average 
temperature of from 54° to 00° at night, will be 
necessary; and though the plant must not bo dry at 
the roots, the soil must be dryish rather than soaked. 
The water, in fact, must bo regulated by the tempera¬ 
ture, and the brightness or dullness of the weather. In 
a sunny day, a washing of the leaves will be attended 
with benefit. The flowers are produced at tho points 
of tho shoots; and for bringing them out in strong, largo 
masses, nothing is so effectual as a little bottom-heat, by 
plunging the pot iu sweet fermenting matter, such as 
dung and leaves, or tan in the spring of the year, 
gradually raising the pots as tho flower-heads approach 
perfection, and giving them a rather drier atmosphere 
to bloom iu. I have, however, seen very good flowers 
without, the assistance of bottom-heat, but there is no 
doubt it yields an advantage, from whatever source it 
comes. That from a tank of hot-water will always be 
sweet and pleasant, and our correspondent may use it 
for starting many of his olhor pot-plants besides this 
Ixora ; but for it and many other things, such as Gar¬ 
denias, &c., I do not consider it at all equal to the 
bottom - heat from sweet, decomposing, fermenting 
material, the vapours from which supply not merely a 
moist, genial atmosphero, but an atmosphere loaded 
with fertilising gases. 1 have met with many, this 
last season, grumbling, that iu their pits heated by 
hot-water pipes along the sides, they could get no 
