THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 5.J 
flowers; but unlike all the others which flourish in peat 
and loam, it must have a preponderance of loam, if the 
plants are to ho robust and bushy. The pretty Sellowii, 
whether in a pot or in a bed in the flower-garden, must 
be planted chiefly in peat, in order that it may be 
healthy and produce its flowers plentifully. 
There are many species, such as Coccinea, with red; 
Violacea, with purple; and Nivca, with white flowers ; 
but the species incidentally alluded to above are as inte¬ 
resting as any; the Crocea superba being a great im¬ 
provement in habits, colour, and free blooming upon the 
old Crocea, whilst mutabilis, with its yellowish pale rose 
flowers, ever changing until they become almost white, 
contrasted with its deep green foliage, is an object that 
ladies seldom pass without admiring. Many are like¬ 
wise partial to the strong aromatic odour of the leaves 
when handled, though I confess, for myself, it is too 
strong to be pleasant. 
Supposing, then, that some of our friends have already 
obtained, or propose getting, a few of these plants for 
their greenhouse, the following is the outline of treat¬ 
ment they will require :—During September the plants 
may be set anywhere, so as to be seen to the best advan¬ 
tage; but towards the end of the month, if still flower¬ 
ing freely, they should be set on the front shelf in order 
to obtain more light; and less water should be gradually 
given, the object being not so much continuous growth, 
but the hardening and ripening of the wood already 
made. If their beauty should already be on the wane, 
the front of a south wall, full in the sun, and where the 
pots may be protected from heavy rains, will answer a 
similar purpose. By the end of October the plants from 
cither position, and before they have been injured by 
frost, if they stood out of doors, should be removed be¬ 
neath the stage of the greenhouse, giving them similar, 
but not so particular, treatment as was recommended for 
the Clerodendron. The leaves remaining, when placed 
in the winter quarters, will soon fall; a temperature of 
from 40° to 45° will preserve the vitality of the stems. 
A slight dusting from the syringe frequently, will also be 
of advantage, the roots being kept by covering, &c., in 
that medium state that may be described as neither wet 
nor dry. 
By the middle or end of March, the increasing heat 
and light will tell upon the poor looking Lantauas ; the 
extreme points of the shoots, when the wood was green 
and unripened, may be sliriveiled up—but what then? 
after these pieces are removed, buds in plenty will be 
bursting from each side of the nodes of the young shoots 
where the wood was moderately ripe, giving sufficient i 
promise for a fine headed plant. The surface soil of the 
pot not troubled during the winter is now broken, that ' 
air may more freely penetrate to the roots ; water several 1 
degrees above the temperature of the house is more 
freely given; on a dull day the plants are removed to the 
stage, that full light may not strike them too suddenly; 
they will want but little room, though the closest and 
warmest part at first. When the shoots are about one 
inch in length, the plants may have part of their old 
soil removed, and be transferred to fresh pots and new 
lumpy soil that has previously been aerated over a fur¬ 
nace ; few things being more prejudicial at an early 
period for pot plants than transferring them to cold 
soil. By attention to watering and liquid manure occa¬ 
sionally after the flower-buds appear, giving more room, 
and dusting at times with the syringe, you will obtain 
line plants in July, to take the place of geraniums, &c., 
getting out of bloom. 
The above is the method to pursue by those who have 
only one glass structure. Where, in addition, there is a 
forcing-pit, or even a cucumber frame, cuttings one 
inch in length, taken off in the end of April, or sooner, 
inserted in heat under a bell-glass, potted as soon as 
struck into d-iuch pots, returned to the bed for a fort- 
353 , 
night or three weeks, potted again into 6-inch pots, and j 
gradually inured to the greenhouse, will make pretty 
luxuriant plants for the whole of the autumn. 
When, in addition, there is a forcing house, where the : 
temperature is raised even so late as March, we would 
only save one or two plants of a species of Lantana 
during the winter ; transfer them to the forcing house— 
say a vinery or a peach house—as soon as its tem¬ 
perature is 5° or 10° above the greenhouse, take off as ' 
many young shoots as you may require when one inch 
and upwards in length; insert them as .described above ; 
in bottom-heat; when struck, throw away the old plants; 
shift quickly and successively into 3, 6, and 12-inch 
pots; the plants after the first, and if possible after the 
second, shifting being set for a short time in the 
cucumber or melon pit, and continued in the forcing 
house a short time after the third, until the roots begin 
to work in the new soil, and thus you may obtain fine 
luxuriant large plants for ornamenting the greenhouse 
from July to the end of October. Where there are the 
conveniences, we prefer this last method to all others; 
and though it involves considerable trouble, the look of 1 
the plants will repay it. 
Calceolaria. —Now is a good time to sow the largo j 
flowering kinds for blooming in spring and early summer. 
It would be as well to have had a few sown towards the 
end of August, but small plants generally stand the 
winter better than larger ones, and they may be rattled 
on easily after the turn of the day. Some of our friends 
fail in raising plants, owing to burying the seed. The 
following directions, therefore, may be useful:—Take 
equal proportions of loam, peat and leaf mould, and half a 
portion of sand; dry them over a furnace sufficiently ; 
hot to set the smallest worms a scampering; expose it 
then for a day to become well aerated; pass it through a 
half-inch sieve; pass the finest again through a very 
fine wire sieve; fill the pots or pans nearly half full with 
drainage; cover the drainage with a layer of the rougher j 
portions from the first riddling, then another layer re- | 
served from the second riddling, then a layer of the soil 
riddled through at the first sifting, and then within a 
quarter of an inch of the top with the fine soil; press 
rather firmly down, and set the pots over-head in a tub 
of water; when fully soaked take out and set to drain. 
In a day, or less, smooth the surface a second time, 
then evenly scatter the seed; dust over them a little fine 
silver sand; place a square of glass over each pot, and 
set them in a shady place in a cold-pit or frame, not 
moving the glass, or seldom doing so, until the plants 
appear. It. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC OECHIDACE/E. 
plants requiring blocks (Continued from page 31 8). 
Dendrobium anuenum (CharmingD.); Nepaul.—Sepals 
and petals white, spotted with yellow ; the lip has a 
border of green round a yellow spot. A charming 
species, delightfully fragrant; unfortunately, it is very 
scarce. I05s. 
I). amplum (Large-flowered 1).); Bombay.—A very 
curious species, with a triangular-shaped solitary flower, j 
The ground colour of the sepals and petals is yellowish, 
stained and spotted with pink; the lip is yellow, curi¬ 
ously barred with rich brown ; very rare. 105s. 
D. aureum and D. aureum pallidum (Golden D.) ; 
Ceylon.—The whole flower is of a rich golden hue, and 
is very handsome ; but its chief recommendation is its 
delightful fragrance, particularly towards the evening: 
two or three flowers will scent the whole house. The 
perfume is equal to the scent of a largo bed of violets. 
84s. 
D. Cambridgensis (Duchess of Cambridge's); Klioosea 
