130 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
spectacle nursery or seedsman, and will produce a 
great number of desirable plants. 
We threw out a hint to our cottage friends, some 
time back, that they should form a kind of a society 
for raising such plants : each cottager to produce or 
raise one or more kinds of flowers, to exchange with 
his neighbour for other kinds that his neighbour has 
raised; and, by this means, severally to benefit each 
other, so as to accumulate a selection of flowers that 
it would be impossible, for want of space, for any cot¬ 
tager to command within his own garden. We trust 
tins suggestion will be acted upon; and, as this is the 
sowing-time for such things, let each cottager, who 
has such right feeling neighbours, act upon this plan. 
We need scarcely repeat, under this head of routine 
management, that the lawn must be kept regularly 
rolled and mown ; the edgings neatly clipped, and all 
weeds warred against most perseveringly. We mean, 
especially, such weeds as docks, dandelions, plantains, 
broad-leaved grasses, or any other weeds that too often 
disfigure the grass-plots both of the amateur and 
places of larger pretensions. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
The work of the florist increases now every day. 
He must care for those flowers that have done their 
duty this year, in order to secure then - services in the 
season to follow, as well as upon those from which he 
yet expects to reap a harvest of delight, aye, and profit 
too, during the remainder of the season. We shall, 
therefore, call your attention to the following classes 
of flowers that must be attended to forthwith. 
Auriculas. —These gems being entirely out of 
bloom, now is a good season to repot them, in order 
to have a strong good growth to flower finely next 
season. Have your compost of light loam, rotten 
cow-dung, aud decayed vegetable mould, in equal 
parts, with a portion of sand, about one eighth, v r ell 
mixed, and in a state neither wet nor dry, ready in 
such quantities as your stock of plants may require. 
Turn out of their pots your blooming plants; remove 
carefully all suckers that have roots to them; lay 
them on one side, then shake off nearly all the old 
soil; trim the roots sparingly, and then your plant 
is ready for the new pot. Place a large crock, or 
broken piece of pot, or an oyster shell, over the hole of 
each pot; put upon this a number of smaller crocks 
to the depth of three-quarters of an inch; then place 
upon them about half an inch of the fibrous part of 
the loam, and upon that a portion of your compost; 
then with one hand hold the plant rather above the 
level of the rim of the pot, and with the other fill in 
the compost amongst the roots. Proceed thus till 
the pot is filled, and then gently strike the pot upon 
the bench to settle the soil, leaving hold of the plant 
that it may settle witli the soil. This will bring the 
soil level with the rim of the pot; put a little more 
soil around the plant, and press it gently with your 
fingers, so as to leave the soil a quarter of an inch 
below the edge of the pot at the sides, and level with 
it in the centre. Finish the operation neatly, and 
you have done the first plant. Proceed in a similar 
manner with the rest till all is completed. Place them 
upon a bed of coal-aslics, in a situation where the sun 
does not shine upom them after ten o’clock in the 
morning. The proper sized pots for blooming plants 
is the size known as 32s; they are about 5-J- inches 
in diameter, and of proportionate depth. The suckers 
may either be put singly into small pots, or three 
or lour in pots of the same size as those for the 
blooming plants, and to be treated in a similar man¬ 
ner. The single pot plan is the best if you have 
June 
room to winter them in. Water them all in fine 
weather, and keep a good look-out for worms and 
slugs. 
Polyanthus. -—It is also time to repot polyan¬ 
thuses. They require a stronger compost than the 
auricula; add, therefore, one third more loam; shake 
them out of the old soil; take off the suckers, or 
side shoots, and pot them in a similar manner to 
the auricula. If infested with their grand enemy, 
the red spider, they may now very conveniently be 
cleansed from him. While you have the plants out 
of the soil look diligently for this pest, and if the 
least trace of his presence be perceived apply the 
soap water and sulphur, as mentioned in a former 
Number. Some recommend planting them out now 
in a shady border during summer, and taking them 
up and potting in the autumn. We cannot approvo 
of this plan, for two reasons: first, because whatever 
sort of weather may come you cannot remove the 
plants to shelter them; and secondly, the great 
check they will necessarily receive at the time of 
potting in autumn. No: we say, treat them as di¬ 
rected for the auricula, and you will be safe. 
Carnations and Picotees will now be advancing 
rapidly towards the flowering season. Look to the 
ties almost every day, or they may do mischief. If 
you see any too tight, cut them at once, and retie 
them more loosely. Thin the buds to three or four 
at the most. Stir the soil on the surface frequently, 
and let not a weed live. You. may place them now 
on the blooming stage, if not already there. Should 
any suddenly turn yellow, the wireworm, that grand 
enemy to these flowers, is feeding upon them; and 
as lie preys in the dark under the soil, it is difficult 
to find out his wTiereabouts until the mischief is com¬ 
plete. The only remedy, now, is to lay a trap for 
him in the shape of a slice of potato, put in the soil 
as near to the plant as possible without injuring 
the roots. The green fly will also make its appear¬ 
ance ; dust this fellow with common Scotch snuff—it 
will stop his ravages at once. 
Ranunculus. —These fine gentlemen of the floral 
kingdom should now be in grand health and strength. 
There ought to be no yellow leaves, no sickness, no 
flagging, but such vigour of constitution as will en¬ 
able them to produce what is required of them— 
large rich-coloured blossoms. They will still, even if 
in that state, require the fostering care of their owner 
to bring them out in grand style. They love abun¬ 
dance of moisture, a soil firm without cracks, and 
shade on sunny days. Apply these means judiciously, 
and they will not disappoint you. T. Appleby. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
Roses tn Pots. —We have seen already that the 
end of October is the right time to procure the best 
roses from the nursery for potting, but that if an 
amateur grows them at home, and prunes them in 
October, February is as good, and perhaps a better 
time, for him to pot them. After potting, we have also 
seen that they require a whole year’s nursing, plunged 
in an open piece of ground, before they are fit to be 
brought in-doors, and that on the supposition that 
the plants were strong enough to begin with ; for ive 
must not lose sight of the fact, that roses are much 
more difficult to manage in pots than they are in the 
open borders: even gardeners, who can see at once 
when anything ails them, find their roses more trouble¬ 
some in pots—that is, compared to open ground cul- 
