54 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Aram. 24, 1860. 
mend the pots not to be filled to within an inch, or even a little 
more, from their tops. Even when the glass is removed during 
the day, to give plenty of air to the young plants, it may be re¬ 
turned in the evening, until they become too high to allow that 
being done, and by that time they will have ceased to be such 
tender sweet morsels to their many enemies. I must add to this 
digression, that in the case of the seeds referred to above, and 
that seemed so many failures, when sown again in smaller pots, 
so that the surface was completely covered with the glass, the 
seedlings have come thick enough, showing conclusively that the 
error was in the treatment and not in the seeds. 
2nd. Soil .—Just as in sowing, so in growing, I prefer a little 
heath soil and silver sand to be mixed with more than a double 
quantity of sweet sandy loam ; and then, as the plants get older, 
substituting very decayed, but sweet, well-aired leaf mould or 
cowdung for the heath soil. As simplicity is always desirable, I 
may mention that I have never had better Primulas than when 
grown in sweet well-aired soil, scraped from the ridges of a kitchen 
garden, a flower-bed, or a ploughed field, taking the opportunity 
of collecting the mellow surface when nice and dry after being 
turned up and exposed to the frosts of winter. This, with a 
little decayed leaf mould and pure sand to sharpen it and keep it 
open, will glow in perfection most of our common flowering 
plants. 
3rd. General treatment .—By the time the seedlings are rising 
from half an inch to one inch in height, prick them out four or 
five round the sides of a four-inch pot, keeping the plants well up 
to the sides, and leaving in this case the centre of the pot the 
hollowest, in order to receive the water that is necessary and thus 
avoid spilling it on the young foliage. This also should be 
avoided when watering the seed-pot by modes frequently referred 
to. When these little plants begin to touch each other give them 
a small pot each, and keep them, if not in a hotbed, still under 
glass, with air in plenty when growing, and protected from very 
bright sunshine. When the pots are filled with roots, shift 
again into four-inch pots, keeping the plant well up in the centre ; 
and in watering taking care that the water is not poured on the 
leaves, and still less on the collar of the plant. When these pots 
are filled, shift into pots of six or seven inches in diameter; and 
if the pots are still kept under glass, they should have air on 
night and day, and be shaded from bright sunshine. A frame 
with a high back set to the south would be a good place. At the 
end of August, and during the most of September, I would 
prefer the plants standing on boards on the north side of a wall 
or hedge, with a free circulation of air all round them, but care 
being taken to defend the plants from anything like heavy rains. 
These plants should be housed by the beginning of October; and 
if kept near the glass, and a temperature not often below 45° 
given to them, they will bloom freely for most of the winter. 
However fine the colours of the kinds may be, if placed far from 
the glass, or at all shaded, the flowers will come thin and bad- 
coloured. In all shiftings care should be bestowed on ample 
drainage ; and if that is covered with a little moss it will be all 
the better. For the last shifting, a little dried old cowdung 
mixed with the soil will help to give strength ; but fine massive 
trusses of flowers will be best secured by giving weak manure 
waterings as soon as the flowering-pots are full of roots, and 
the flower-buds begin to rise. Yery fine heads of bloom can 
thus be grown in six-incli pots, but very good shows can be 
obtained in four-inch pots, and when anything extra is required 
larger pots may be used ; but if these are wanted for early bloom¬ 
ing, the sowing should also be early. Old plants may have the 
earth shaken from the roots like a Geranium and kept on, or may 
be cut up and struck as cuttings; but seedlings generally make 
the best plants. 
A good medium time for early and lute spring blooming is to 
sow in June and July. At this time, a cold frame or pit will be 
useful for sowing in. If the pot is covered with a glass, it will 
just be all the safer. Some sow as late as August and September, 
but in order to do well, they must be grown well all the winter. 
The young plants, whatever time sown, may be brought on in a 
cold frame under glass, with plenty of air given to them. It will 
scarcely be worth while to place them out of doors. Though 
they cannot have too much air, yet the plants dislike the bright 
sun of autumn. As soon as the dark, short days come, the 
plants cannot have too much light. A few of the strongest 
plants of the Juno sowing might have six-inch pots in October, 
and be expected to bloom after Christmas. The most of these 
will be best in four-inch pots, standing on an airy shelf in the 
greenhouse fully exposed to light until tlie new year is past, when 
a shift may be given them. Younger plants may thus also get a 
start forwards. These plants generally grow with great rapidity 
in the late autumn and the early spring months. Again I would 
repeat, that though disliking full sun in summer, they rejoice in 
it in winter and spring. 
Gloxinia Seed requires rather more beat to bring up the seed¬ 
lings nicely, and a higher temperature to grow them to perfection. 
Use equal care with the preparing of the seed-pot, and, if pos¬ 
sible, have heath soil for nearly the half of the compost; cover 
with the slightest sprinkling of fine sandy soil, and press it down 
slightly. If you have any doubts about making that covering 
slight enough, just press the seeds slightly on the mellow surface 
soil, and cover and shade until they vegetate. A small pinch of 
seed will generally give you a vast number of seedlings : these, 
even when very small, if very thick, are apt to damp otf in the 
secd-pot, even when it would be next to impossible to get a hold 
of them individually. In such a case, even when the plants are 
not one-sixteentli of an inch in height, prepare some pots as if 
for seeds, and lift the seedlings with a dibber like a lady’s bodkin, 
and transplant them in little tufts or patches—say half an inch 
apart. This will prevent the damping and the shanking. Place 
these again in the sweet hotbed, and cover with the square of 
glass. When these patches get larger they may again be divided, 
or the plants may be singled out separately an inch or half an 
inch apart. When these meet give them a small pot each, and 
put them again in the hotbed or on the stage of a hothouse. Shift 
again as soon as the pots are full; and for this season it would 
be as well to be content with four or five-inch pots, which, when 
full of roots, you may expect the plants to throw up plenty of 
flowers in the autumn. When these begin to decay, and the 
leaves to lose their rich verdure, and the days arc too short to 
give them enough sunshine, then gradually curtail water. By- 
and-by, collect them in a corner where they can get all the sun¬ 
light possible, and gradually altogether refrain watering; and 
when the leaves are withered, collect all your plants, and place 
them anywhere out of sight, where the temperature will not often 
be below from 45° to 50° at least, and keep the soil dry about the 
tubers until you wish to start them with heat and moisture as 
early as you like the following spring. Such plants will bloom 
early in spring and summer. If any seedling appears extra good 
in j our estimation, take off some leaves, and stick them with the 
stalk end downwards by the side of a small pot in sandy soil, 
and place in nice bottom heat, and tubers will be formed which 
will make nice plants next season. If wishing to make the most 
of it you might cut the leaves into little pieces like bits of ribbon 
or tape, and one end of these inserted in sandy soil, and the other 
left out, and all covered with a bell-glass, and then kept in a 
sweet heat, you may have ever so many tubers of a favourite 
plant for next season. 
As already stated, for seedlings and very small plants I prefer 
having heath soil and sweet leaf mould as a component of the 
compost, along with sandy loam, though the latter and leaf 
mould will grow fine plants. As the plants get older and fine 
summer blooming is desiderated, sweet dried old cowdung should 
be added sparingly to the compost, and weak manure waterings 
at a temperature not below 75° should be copiously given as 
wanted. They do best in the close, moist atmosphere of a hot¬ 
house. They do not do well in a greenhouse, even in the hottest 
months, unless its character is changed and made close by 
diminished air, and shade also given. If grown in a hotbed of 
fermenting matter, care must be taken, by air night and day, to 
prevent all steam or accumulation of damp unwholesome vapour, 
and never to permit the sun to shine on the foliage when damp. 
Shading will also be necessary in the heat of the day. If, from 
neglect, the foliage becomes browned or spotted, the flowers will 
be deprived of all them elegance. R. Fish. 
CASTS OF FLOWER POTS. 
In a reply to one of your correspondents, “M. A. E.,” we 
think you were likely to mislead the inquirer and your readers, 
for to complete a cast of thumbs we only give sixty pots. 
In noticing this we do not arrogate to ourselves the position of 
dictating to the trade, but simply to show that it is not a pre¬ 
vailing custom to give eighty pots to a cast of thumbs. As fai¬ 
ns we know, sixty pots for a cast of thumbs are universally, in 
the London potteries, recognised as the proper complement.— 
J. & W. Adams, Pol Manufacturers, Kings Cross. 
