July 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
199 
lay down plants and throw a little soil over their 
roots: and their annual growth did not exceed two 
or three inches, hut they were fully exposed to the 
north east, and behind a wall. Any cold greenhouse, 
or good pit, will winter them, and they must never 
he allowed to get quite dry in winter, like many 
plants at rest. Indeed, I cannot bring to mind any 
greenhouse plant grown in heat that will staud that 
with impunity. 
There is a wide field yet open for crossing these aza¬ 
leas. Beautiful though they are, and admired by every 
one, they are yet very deficient in the shape and sub¬ 
stance of their flowers. We have nothing yet in 
shape among them to compete with the A. variegata 
from China. The substance of the petals of some of 
the new seedlings gives great promise, and s'liapo 
will no doubt follow; but as their season is over for 
this year, we may as well treat of some other flowers 
which may yet be crossed. 
Hybridizing —About this time geranium fanciers 
will be preparing to sow seeds of them for new varie¬ 
ties, and here we are only preparing to crop them to 
get our seeds, hut we are in good time yet. The 
late-flowering plants always yield the best seed; and 
many a geranium that refused to take strange pollen 
last May, will now yield readily enough if we keep 
them indoors. Roses that have pollen are ten times 
more difficult to cross than any geranium—as the 
pollen of many roses is ripe as soon as the flower 
opens. It is not so with the geranium, however; the 
anthers in them never open before the flower, and 
then they may easily he cut off. Some geraniums are 
fit for the poflen the same day the flowers open, others 
not till the next day, while a third set are three or 
four days open before the stigmas are ripe. But hot 
dry weather ripens them faster than is natural for 
them, and, when that happens, some of them are 
more reluctant to yield to foreign pollen. Others, 
again, that are shy bearers, will readily yield seeds if 
they are kept very cool and out of the sun from the 
appearance of the flower buds till the stigma is ripe, 
and are then introduced either to a warm window 
or greenhouse while the pollen is effecting its pur¬ 
pose. D. Beaton. 
STOVE AND HOTHOUSE. 
PLANT STOVE. 
Achimenes. —In small gardens, where the stove is 
made to contribute not only to its own embellishment 
but the adorning of the greenhouse and sitting-room 
during the summer, few saces of plants can present 
greater claims to the attention of the amateiu than 
those included in the natural order of gesneraceie. 
This statement will more particularly apply to those 
plants possessing bulbous and scaly tubercules, such 
as the gloxinia, the gesneria, and the achimenes, as 
they contain the following desirable requisites : they 
are easily cultivated; when well grown they are 
splendid in appearance ; when brought into bloom 
they will stand in any place under glass, partially 
shaded, until late in the autumn; they can be made 
to bloom at almost any season; and, finally, when 
done blooming and the leaves decayed, the tubers 
may be kept in a dry condition in any out of the way 
place, provided the temperature does not fall below 
40°. 
We shall, for the present, confine ourselves to the 
genus or family of achimenes. This genus, like others 
of the gesneracea3, belongs to the fourteenth class 
and second order of Linmeus’s system. All the 
species and varieties have scaly tubers. The blossom 
of the most of them is showy, monopetalous, and 
! tubular, the corolla being divided hi to five more or 
j less irregular segments. 
Estimate of Species. —The A. coccinea was, until 
| of late years, almost the sole type of the genus. It 
was then known under the titles of Cgrillapvdcliella and 
Trevirania coccinea ; both of these generic names were 
given in honour of continental botanists. I cannot be 
! sure of the reasons why the generic name was altered 
to achimenes. The coccinea still maintains its high 
claims upon our attention, from its compact bushy 
growth, and its abundance of small but brilliant 
scarlet flowers. Rosea and its varieties are similar in 
i size and habit. These are joined by grandijlora, 
rose-coloured; longiflora, light blue; and patens, deep 
purple : all of which, with their varieties, have large 
showy flowers, the segments of the corolla present¬ 
ing a nearly flat surface, the long narrow tube acting 
in much the same manner as the footstalk does in 
other flowers. Then comes picta, or painted, alike 
applicable to its variegated foliage and red and orange 
blossoms. Here the segments of the corolla are small, 
and the chief beauty consists in a wider development 
of the tube and its beautiful markings ; it is dwarf 
and bushy in its habits. A. peclunculata, so named 
from the long footstalk (peduncle) of the flower, is 
similar to picta in the form of its orange blossoms, 
but very different in habit, being strong and robust 
in its growth, and, when well attended to, forming 
a striking feature in the later summer and earlier 
autumn months. Similar in habit is hireuta, but 
the flowers are too dull in colour. We refrain from 
[ going farther. All of these may be in bloom now, if 
the tubers were started in January or February. To 
have pcdunculata fine, it must be started early, as it 
requires more time than any of the others. Patens 
comes soonest into bloom : tubers planted now will 
afford a fine display in autumn. Coccinea and longi- 
jlora will come in a little later; picta does best of all 
in the winter and spring months, as its leaves are 
impatient of bright sun. All the species are natives 
of warm latitudes in America. 
Propagaton. —This can be effected by seeds, but, 
unless for obtaining varieties by hybridizing, it is not 
worth saving, as even the leaves root freely. Small 
tubers are formed in the axils of the leaves of many 
of them; and, in all, plenty of full-sized tubers are 
found beneath the soil when the plants have finished 
their growth. 
Starting into Growth. —Instead of placing the 
tubers into their intended blooming pots and boxes 
at once, it is better to place them in shallow pans, 
using any light soil, just slightly moist, and doing 
little more than cover them. A little damp moss 
placed on the surface will be an advantage. Very 
little water should be given before the tubers begin 
to vegetate, after which it may be given more freely. 
By this method you will be enabled to choose the 
strongest growing plants for the centre of your pots. 
A temperature of about 60° should be maintained, 
and, if early in the spring, a little bottom heat would 
cause them to come all the better. 
Potting. — Shallow paus or boxes will give you 
plenty of bloom, if well supplied with weak manure- 
water, but the plants will bloom longer and finer 
when g 4 ’own in pots or boxes of the usual depth. A 
little earthing-up may then be given them at times. 
Attend well to drainage, and cover the tubers when 
planted about an inch with the compost. Instead of 
placing them all over the pot, which, when they bloom, 
