The Floral Instructor. 
3 
grew twenty-three plants from twenty- 
five seeds. 
Well, there, I did not mean to stray 
away from what I started upon, but per¬ 
haps it is just as well. To return to 
the question of my German friend: 
Heliotropes can be grown both from 
seeds and by cuttings, but as the seeds 
germinate very slowly florists propagate 
them at almost any season of the year 
from cuttings. ' These soon strike when 
placed in sand that has bottom heat 
under it. Bottom heat—a technical 
term used in floriculture—is secured by 
the heat of a furnance or by warm 
water or stable manure, and, in some 
cases by steam. It is indispensable in 
every commercial greenhouse, as it en¬ 
ables us to start seeds and cuttings so 
much earlier. 
A very good propagating bed on a 
small scale can be constructed by any¬ 
one handy with tools Dy having the tin¬ 
ner make you a tank three or four 
inches deep to hold water in. The sand 
is laid on the tank and the water is 
heated by a small lamp, care being taken 
to make a passage to the open air for 
the escape of gas; This is the idea of a 
gentleman in England, and I believe is 
called a Waltonian case. Having tried 
a modification of it myself before I had 
a greenhouse, it suited me so well and 
did its work so perfectly that I can 
safely commend it. The cost of such a 
case, if the tank is made of zinc, would 
be about $5, and less if made of sheet 
iron. 
The glass case that goes over the 
whole is made on the plan of a minia¬ 
ture greenhouse, and the top should be 
removable at pleasure to admit air. A 
thermometer ought to be kept con¬ 
stantly imbedded in the sand so that the 
bottom heat is never allowed to get 
above seyenty-five degrees. In this way 
an amateur who has the time and love 
for it can grow many things as well as a 
florist with a large greenhouse, and I 
knov of nothing that used to give me 
more pleasure when I was an amateur 
than to succeed in rooting or raising 
something that had been pronounced 
difficult. 
How well some people overcome every 
obstacle and difficulty in flower saising. 
I know of a Michigan lady of but mod¬ 
erate means, who, less than two years 
ago, knew next to nothing about flowers. 
She has an invalid husband and lives in 
a town whose inhabitants are great 
flower lovers and can pay for what they 
get. She wrote to me asking if I 
thought she could learn the florist’s bus¬ 
iness, and I have at different times given 
her such hints as I could. The conse¬ 
quence is that she is now well advanced 
in the study of botany, is a very good 
florist and is making money. Some of 
her friends say she is lucky—everything 
grows for her. Well, maybe so, but let 
me give the secret of her success in her 
own words : u It is not luck; it is hard 
work, hard study, and, as you once told 
me, eternal vigilance over even the 
smallest details.” If this lady does not 
make her name famous yet, I shall be 
greatly surprised, for she is a wonderful 
woman to experiment with plants, hy¬ 
bridizing them, and in that way trying 
to bring out new sorts. That she and 
all such earnest workers may be amply 
rewarded is my hearty desire.— R. Ren¬ 
nie M&Gill in Free Press Household. 
The drainage of the flower-pots should 
be perfect, so that surface water can 
escape through the hole in the bottom 
of the post. If the pots stand in sau¬ 
cers pour off the water that runs into 
them. Yet this rule, though of general 
application, need not be observed in the 
case of aquatic plants. 
