Dec. 6th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
217 
convenience the cultivator has at his command to 
push his plants forward, and which may range from 
a well-constructed Cucumber-house to an ordinary 
hot-bed. The temperature and moisture required by 
the tenants of the Cucumber - house will suit the 
Gloxinias sown in February, till they have passed 
through their stages of pricking out and potting into 
thumb-pots. We sow our seeds in 6-in. pots prepared 
in the following manner:—half fill the pots with 
crocks and cover these with moss, or the rough 
portion of leaf-soil or loam, to prevent the finer soil 
from intermingling with the crocks and obstructing 
the free passage of water. 
The compost we use is a mixture of loam, two parts 
to one part each of leaf-soil and sand, and the 
top half-inch is passed through a fine sieve. The 
seeds are extremely small, and to give us some idea as to 
how they are distributed, we cover the surface of the 
soil after it has been gently pressed and made even 
with a thin layer of sand, and after the seeds are sown 
the sand is covered with a thin layer of the finest of 
watering and shading are attended to they will make 
•rapid progress, and will soon be fit to be transferred to 
pots. 
Compost. —The soil used for this and any addi¬ 
tional shift that may be given should consist of four 
parts of loam to one of leaf-soil, one-sixth of sand, 
and one-eighth of partially fermented horse-dung, the 
latter passed through a quarter-inch sieve. The 
effect of the latter ingredient may be traced almost 
to a plant. The time for final potting will be regu¬ 
lated by the time they were sown and the progress 
they have made. We endeavour to attend to them 
when the foliage has well covered the surface of the 
pots they are in. As soon as a flower or two expands 
we move them into a cool span-roofed house. 
We say cool because the house is ventilated at 
the side and top without causing a perceptible 
current. 
Plants in their second year are in flower early in 
May, which is as soon as we require them. As the 
plants get shabby they are moved into a pit or frame 
to other plants besides the Gloxinia. To syringe or 
wet the foliage of Gloxinias in the morning is rather 
a perilous proceeding, inasmuch as their woolly surface 
retain the moisture for hours after it has disappeared 
from the foliage of other plants, and if the sun 
should shine on them in that condition the result 
would be disastrous. The disfigured foliage which 
may be frequently seen on Gloxinias and Achimenes 
is entirely due to this wetting of the foliage in the 
morning, accompanied by bright sunshine. 
When the leaves are three or four inches long the 
plants may be placed in their flowering-pots, and the 
only objection to putting them in at first is that the big 
pots look more unsightly and occupy more room, and 
if they get over-watered once or twice they come to a 
standstill. The Gloxinia is not a strong rooting 
plant, and considerable development of top takes 
place before any amount of roots are visible if an 
inspection is made. When they are forming their 
flower-buds, weak liquid manure will prove highly 
beneficial, and it may be applied alternately with 
AN ERECT-FLOWERED GLOXINIA. 
soil. Watering is done by immersing the pots three 
parts of their depth in water, or till it is seen that the 
surface is moistened. On no account must the water 
be allowed to cover the soil, as that would cause the 
seeds to float. Each pot is covered with a piece of 
glass to prevent rapid evaporation, and the consequent 
necessity of frequent waterings. It is seldom that they 
require water in the early part of the year more than 
three times before they are up, and none is given over¬ 
head till the plants are well advanced. As soon as 
there is a sign of germinating, the glass covering the 
pot should be raised by placing a stick across the pot, 
and in sunny weather they should be shaded by suspend¬ 
ing a sheet of paper in front of them or in such a 
way as to break the sun’s rays without obstructing the 
light. By moving the glasses at night and replacing 
them in the day, if sunny, but not in dull weather, 
the plants get well nursed without being coddled. 
Pricking out may be done in pots or pans when the 
plants are large enough to handle, and the upper¬ 
most inch of soil should be similar to that used for 
sowing, but below it may consist of more loam. If 
where a light can be placed over them to protect 
them from the rain. These early flowering plants 
readily go to rest, and if watered after it has been 
withheld for a time they will start to grow again even 
in a cold frame, which is most undesirable, as 
seedlings will be far more serviceable than they will 
prove to be if flowered the second time in the same 
year. From early sown and well grown plants good 
results are produced, and many will be as floriferous 
as plants in their second year, but they cannot 
be had in flower so early, as the latter can be had 
in very fair condition in March. We allow them to 
start in the pots they are growing in, and after about 
an inch of growth is made they are shaken out 
and potted into 3-in. pots. Very little water will 
be required except that which will be received from 
the syringe, with which they should be sprinkled 
overhead every afternoon, and if in making the last 
round at night the foliage and surroundings appear 
dry, they should have another dewing. I consider 
this dewing at night one of the best preventitives 
against thrip and red-spider, and it can be applied 
clear water. When the plants are in flower they 
must be thoroughly shaded. 
Exhibiting. —For this purpose I am not acquainted 
with a more tiresome plant to deal with. The flowers 
are so weighty and the stems so fragile that the 
motion of the conveyance will cause the flowers to 
break off entirely. Tying the flowers singly to sticks 
would only make matters worse, and packing them in 
cotton wool disfigures foliage and flowers by adhering 
to them, so as to reduce their chance at the exhibition 
table. 
The best plan that I am acquainted with is to place 
a broad band of tissue paper round as many flowers 
of the erect ones as can be conveniently got together 
without drawing them from their upright position, 
and secure the corners of the paper to a stake. If the 
whole are grouped in this manner, without unduly 
pressing them, they will not have space to oscillate. 
The flowers of the drooping section are more easily 
secured by placing them in slings of tissue paper 
without drawing them from their natural position.— 
IF. P. Eoberts, Cuerden Hall, Preston. 
