148 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[Junk 6. 
heat and moisture. The latter method saves the trouble 
of repotting, but the single bulbs form the neatest 
plants. Give no water after potting in the moist com¬ 
post for a week or two; place them in a gentle heat. A mode¬ 
rate hotbed of well-sweetened dung, covered with coaJ- 
ashes or tanners’ bark, will answer the best for them at 
this early season. This potting ought to ilower m May. 
The next batch may be set to work in the same manner 
the first week in March; the next in May; and the last 
in July. These two latter pottings will not require any 
heat, but may be placed after potting in a cold pit, where 
the natural heat of the season, if they are kept mode¬ 
rately close at first, will he sufficient to bring them Gov 1) 
on. These two latter pottings will consist chiefly ol the 
different kinds of Achimenes, and Gesnera zebnna, with 
the varieties of Achimenes, especially A. picta. I bey 
are intended to bloom through the autumn and winter 
months in the warm stove and orchid house, which they 
will ornament greatly when there are few other plants 
in bloom. . 
Water. —The application of this is a matter ol import¬ 
ance to all plants, but to this tribe more than to most 
others. In the early stages of growth it must be given 
sparingly, and never over the young and tender leaies, 
especially in the morning. If the leaves are wet with 
water, or even dew from the steam of the fermenting 
materials employed to stimulate them into growth, the 
sun will be apt to discolour them, and the growth will be 
crippled. Avoid, therefore, wetting the leaves as much 
as possible, and water chiefly in the after part of the 
day. Shade also early, and give air so as to allow the 
steam to evaporate, and the tender leaves to dry. When 
the season is more advanced, and the leaves more mature, 
a gentle syringing in the afternoon will be beneficial. 
One point must be attended to at all seasons, and that is, 
to keep them near to the glass, to induce short vigorous 
growth. If they are placed far from the glass their leaf¬ 
stalks will bo drawn up, and will be weak aud un¬ 
sightly. 
Winter treatment— As soon as the flowering season is 
over, whether early or late, the plants ought to be put to 
rest. We have experienced it to be a good plan when 
the plants showed evident signs of exhaustion, to. place 
them out of doors in a warm sheltered place in the 
garden. This applies only to such as have done bloom¬ 
ing as early as July. To prevent them receiving too 
much moisture, which would have a tendency to start 
them into premature growth, we lay the pots or pans on 
one side. As soon as the leaves and stems are quite 
yellow, cut them off, and place the roots in a cool shed 
till the frosts begin, when they should be removed into 
their winter quarters, the best of which is under the 
stages of the stove, where they may remain till the potting 
season returns, care being taken that they are kept quite 
dry. Later potted plants, the blooming season of which 
extends to autumn and winter, should be set to rest by 
withholding water, and placing them out of the reach of 
frost. Attend to this—At such as go to rest the first he 
started first. They will have obtained a habit of early 
growth, and their early rest will give them the power 
and desire to start again at the usual season they have 
been accustomed to. This is a law of nature which 
cannot be infringed with impunity. The fruit cultivator 
is fully impressed with its truth. His vines, peaches, 
&c., that have been by degrees brought into early habits, 
are the most easily stirred in active growth, the follow¬ 
ing season. It is so also with flowering plants of every 
kind, and by none more so than the order of Gesneracese. 
(To he continued.J 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Spring and summer in our climate do not come at 
any particular day, week, or even month, but visit us in 
fits aud starts. Sometimes wo have a week of cold dry 
weather, succeeded by showers of rain, and occasional 
warm sunny days; these again are sadly too often 
succeeded by cold days, aud frosty nights, varied by 
windy stormy ones, accompanied by hailstorms, heavy 
long continued rains, and cold easterly winds. It is this 
uncertainty of weather that calls forth all the forethought 
and untiring vigilance of the florist, to guard against 
the bad effects which those disastrous changes bring 
upon his favourite plants. He has stood in need this 
season of all these careful attentions, or, if they have 
been neglected even for a single day and night, the woeful 
effects of such neglect will now be visible. Let even 
such as have carefully tended and watched their choice 
flowers, by no means relax their attention now. Read 
over andL practise all the points of culture we have 
weekly endeavoured to enforce. 
p UL1PS —The glory of these noble flowers is fast de¬ 
parting for another season; and they seem to say—“ Take 
care of us, or we shall be unable to least your eyes and 
gratify your mind another season. To strengthen our 
roots cut off all our seed vessels; protect us from heavy 
rains; lift up gently such of us as seem unwilling to go 
to rest with our fellows; leave us in the giound till oui 
leaves turn yellow; and then take us up and lay us in a 
cool place to dry.” Such is the language the imaginative 
tulip fancier will say his highly prized departing friends 
would use, could they speak. And we say, act accordingly. 
We say this to the new beginner; the old staunch 
experienced grower will not need our advice. 
T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Cauliflowers. —Plant liberally in shady situations, 
and make a couple of good sowings this month, the 
produce of which will come to hand at the end of summer, 
and in the autumn. Coleworts, too, should be sown at 
twice, liberally, this mouth, so as to have at command a 
supply of good plants to put out in succession on the 
early potato and other spare ground. 
Celery should now be well encouraged. I rick and 
plant out in succession, keep the early plants well surface- 
stirred, and free from suckers ; particularly bear in mind 
that you must neither plant nor prick the plants too deep ; 
they should not be buried deeper than their seed-leaf, or 
collar; indeed, deep planting is a serious detriment to 
the kindly progress of vegetation of every kind. Celery, 
as every one well knows, is a gross feeding and thirsty 
plant; and to produce it of an extraordinary size, of good 
quality, the principal essentials are a good, rich, well 
pulverized piece of ground, which has been well tienclied 
and liberally supplied with good manure, well inter¬ 
mixed amongst the soil, and the plants never allowed to 
become dry; the lack of moisture in dry weather being 
likely to render the celery pipy and tough; too much 
water can hardly be applied to it. Our system, when we 
wish to produce a large supply of celery from a small 
piece of ground, is to choose a well prepared piece, as 
above described; and supposing it to be eight feet wide, 
a shallow trench five feet wide is cast out up the centre, 
the plants are put in the crossway of the trench, in rows 
from a foot to eighteen inches apart, the distance being 
regulated according to the time of planting, whether late 
or early, or whether it is required to be grown of a large 
size, &c. The number of plants in each row is also re¬ 
gulated by the same rule, and varies from five to eight. 
The surface of the soil between the plants we generally 
lightly mulch with decayed refuse leaves, or short 
decayed manure of any kind; the advantage of which 
is, that any quantity of water may be applied without 
the soil becoming surface-bound. By following these 
principles, every facility is afforded for surfacc-stirnng, 
watering, and applying the earth for blanching, and 
a large quantity of celery may thus be obtained on 
