January 23. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
High ; and the foliage is handsome and not too large, is of 
a deep green on the upper side, with the midrib coloured 
with pink. The under side of the leaf is also richly 
coloured. Then in the second good property, that of 
free blooming, no plant excels it. Every branch flowers 
profusely. J have counted upwards of twenty blooms on 
one stem. They are produced in clusters from the tops 
of each shoot rising well up above the foliage, each 
flower measuring fully an inch in length. The lower 
portion of the flower is the largest part, and is of a 
glowing brick-red colour; at the top of this there is, as it 
were, a collar of green, above which, are three short, 
stout, floral leaves (forming a kind of hood), which are 
of a clear bright yellow, giving a fiuish of colouring such 
as few flowers possess. The third good quality, that of 
easy culture, I certainly shall claim for this charming 
plant, and will below describe it in full. 
History .—This singular-looking plaut, with its rough 
dark brown stems, deep green, pink-ribbed leaves, and 
gay yellow, green, and red flowers, is only a Balsam; 
but it is a perennial one. It was sent to this country by 
Mr. Mc’Ivor; he discovered it in the Neilgherry Hills, in 
British India, but a considerable way down the hills, so 
much so as to warrant us keeping it in a warm house 
through the winter. I have seen it kept in a cool house ; 
but there it loses most of its leaves and all its flowers. 
It was sent to Messrs. Veitch and Sou two years ago, 
and has been exhibited by those gentlemen frequently, 
and obtained prizes. I have never seen auy seed-pods 
on any of the plants, but I should think it would seed 
freely if planted out-of-doors in a frame for that purpose. 
Propagation by Guttings .—The stems of this plant 
are thick and fleshy, and, in consequence, will soon 
decay if cut aud put in immediately. The way to 
manage, is to take off short shoots close to the stem, 
from which they may easily bo separated, either by 
lifting it up and down, or by passing a knife through 
it just at the point between the stem and the cutting. 
There it is small, and, therefore, the wound is not 
great, and the danger of damping off is lessened. A 
tolerable good plant will yield several such cuttings. 
When all are taken off’, let them lay on the bench while a 
cutting pot is being prepared. Choose a pot of a suffi¬ 
cient size to hold the cuttings without crowding. Let 
the pot be quite clean, and then drain it well by filling 
it half full with crocks (broken pots). On this drainage 
place some pieces of turf, then put on this layer another 
layer of fibrous peat and sand, in equal parts, and on 
that place pure sand sufficient to fill the pot up to the 
rim, then give a gentle watering to make the sand firm. 
In a few minutes it will be ready for the cuttings. Plant 
them in the sand with a smooth stick somewhat thicker 
than the cuttings, planting them at equal distances. 
Should any leaves project outwards beyond the rim of 
the pot, gather them in carefully and keep them within 
with small sticks, fc’ill up the holes made by the dibber 
with dry sand, aud then give a gentle watering again to 
settle the sand firm to each cutting. Then place the 
cutting under a hand-light, or a small frame, set upon a 
heated surface. We use a tan-bed for the purpose; but 
a bed of coal-asbes, heated by hot-water pipes under it 
is the best. Bell-glasses are too close for these fleshy 
cuttings. In this situation they may remain till roots 
are emitted, which will be the case in about a month. 
Then pot them off into small pots, and replace them 
under the frame till the pots are filled with roots. They 
may then be set out in the stove, and gradually inured 
to bear the open air and light; then repot them in 
rich, open soil, mixed with hard lumps of very rotten 
dung, and also a few pieces of charcoal. In this com¬ 
post they will grow rapidly, and soon make large plants 
with many side-branches, all blooming freely. 
Summer Management. — Whoever grows this plant 
must remember that it is a Balsam, though a half- 
317 
shrubby perennial one; and that remembrance will at 
once give him an idea how to cultivate it; namely, a 
free, open compost, plenty of moisture over the leaves 
before the flowers appear, and a liberal supply at the 
roots always, or, at least, through the summer; also, 
give plenty of air every sunny day, and repeat freely 
and frequently; the last time to be about the middle of 
August. By this attention the plant may be kept 
blooming till November, or even longer. (I saw one in 
flower on the 6th of this month.) If the greenhouse is 
filled with such half-hardy stove plants, it will be a 
good situation for it in order to grow it to the highest 
perfection. 
Winter Management .—When this commences depends 
upon the state of the plant. If the leaves begin to fall, 
and flowers are no longer produced, the season of rest 
has commenced. Then reduce the water and heat also; 
but do not allow the soil to become parching dry. It 
should be just moist, but not wet. As soon as the days 
begin to lengthen, and the heat to increase, give a little 
more heat and water, and as soon as growing is per¬ 
ceived turn the balls out of the pots, reduce them, and 
repot the plants, and grow them on as before. 
T. Appleby. 
ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS. 
(Continued from page 181 .) 
I am afraid my young friends will think that I have 
forgotten them; but it is not so. Absence from home, 
and a press of other matter, have prevented me from 
continuing my advice papers for their instruction, warn¬ 
ing, and benefit. An opportunity now presents itself, 
and I gladly embrace it. 
On tliis occasion, I purpose to make a few remarks on 
what a young man should aim at in following the 
profession of a Gardener, and the conduct he should 
adopt in order to succeed. I intend this paper for the 
more especial benefit of the young man who has acquired 
a considerable knowledge of gardening, and, in conse¬ 
quence, has attained the highest rank of journeyman- 
gardener—that of foreman. 
There are three kinds of Gardeners, namely, the 
Nursery Gardener, the Artist Gardener, and the Gentle¬ 
man’s or Serving Gardener. Now, whichever of these 
branches of the business a young man may intend to 
follow, it is absolutely necessary to begin at the lowest 
step,—that of learning the manual operations,—such as 
digging, hoeing, planting, mowing, nailing, training, and 
pruning; potting plants and sowing seeds. All these he 
should learn to do quickly aud well. Eor many of these 
various operations there are no schools so efficient as a 
market-garden or a nursery. I can speak confidently on 
this point, from experience; for I began my gardening 
life in Messrs. Pontey’sNursery, at Ivirkheaton.near Hud¬ 
dersfield ; and, to show whatpratice will do, I may men¬ 
tion, that when I was only twelve years old, I could dibble 
in young Larches at the rate of one thousand per hour. 
I was afterwards employed in the market-garden of 
Mr. Major, the now eminent landscape gardener, at 
Iinowstrop, near Leeds. He taught me how to dig a 
piece of ground level, well and quickly. There I found 
my skill in dibbling useful in pricking out Celery and 
Cabbages. I trust my young friends will not smile at 
my mentioning such common operations. I mention 
them to show how necessary and useful it is to acquire 
a dexterity and quickness in performing such work. A 
man cannot teach others, or know when such things are 
properly done, unless he has practised them himself. 
My young man, having gone through all these opera¬ 
tions, ancl acquired a character for ability aud steadi¬ 
ness, will, when of a proper age, be appointed foreman. 
1 And now is the time for him to determine which branch 
