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Sowing Seeds of Green-House Plants.— 
Please tell me when to sow the seeds of the following 
named flowers and the soil suitable for them. Begonia 
Sedumi, Calceolaria, Cineraria (double), Clianthus, 
Cyclamen persiCum, Fuchsia, Geranium, Gloxinia, 
Primula, Smilax, Lantana, Azalea Indica, Auricula, 
and Primula Japonica. Please tell me when they will 
flower. I never succeed, in growing Pansies. Why is 
it? W. G. I. 
Hampton, Va. 
Answer. —1. Begonia .—Sow in heat in spring. It 
will flower the same year. Calceolaria and Cineraria 
seed should be sown early in autumn to flower the next 
spring. Sow Clianthus in an old hot-bed frame (one 
in which radishes have been forced) in May. It will 
bloom the same summer. Cyclamen, Fuchsia, Gera¬ 
nium, and Gloxinia sown in spring will flower the 
next year. Primula, Smilax, and Lantana sown in 
spring will flower the same year. Azaleas sown in 
spring will flower in from five to ten years. Auriculas 
and Primula Japonica sown in spring or summer will 
flower the next year The soil for all these seeds 
should be sandy loam. All, except as noted, should 
be grown under glass. 
2. Your climate is probably too warm for the Pansy 
to grow satisfactorily. 
Hardiness of Plants. —Can I keep the following- 
named plants here out of doors through the winter by 
protecting them, and how much protection will they 
require? Coleus, Gloxinia, Fuchsia, Begonia, Clian¬ 
thus, and Lantana. We seldom have snow or a hard 
freeze, but have frosts which kill such tender things as 
Wax Plants. Mrs. E. M. B. 
Refugio, Texas. 
Answer .—Most of the plants you mention are quite 
as tender as the Wax Plant. Possibly the Fuchsia, 
Lantana, and Clianthus might stand, if the plants were 
old and well-established and were protected so no frost 
could reach them. But we think it very doubtful. 
Tube Poses. —I have taken my Tube Roses from 
the ground and put them away until spring. Is this 
right? Should they be planted early or late in the 
spring, or be left in the ground during the winter? 
Amy Hodges. 
Kennes, La. 
Ansicer .—Your treatment is that usually adopted; 
but possibly the bulbs might with you endure the 
winter in the open ground. Where there is no frost 
they will grow on from year to year m the garden. 
They should, if taken up, not be replanted till the 
ground is warm. 
Largest and Sweetest Rose.— What is the 
largest and what the sweetest Perpetual Rose ? 
Aimee. 
Albany, N. Y, 
Answer .—The largest is Paul Heron, and the sweet¬ 
est La France. The latter is not classed with Per- 
petuals, although a constant bloomer. 
Anchusa Italiea. —Will some one give me some 
information in regard to the abovenamed plant? I 
have been searching through all my floral catalogues, 
and find it mentioned in but one out of ten. This 
says: “A fine bedding plant, 4 feet.” An old English 
work on floriculture, published in 1867, mentions it 
among a list of biennials. I have several plants which 
I raised this summer from seed which came from the 
Agricultural Department of this city (Washington). 
The plant is similar in appearance to the Mullein; leaf 
same shape but much longer than the Mullein leaf. 
Some of them are now two feet long. As it requires 
considerable room, I should like to know whether it 
must be housed for winter; whether the flower will 
repay the trouble of careful nursing during winter, and 
when does it bloom? 
Answer. —Anchusa Italiea is a coarse, weedy bien¬ 
nial plant, hardy south of Hew York. It blooms the 
next summer from spring or summer-sown seed. The 
flowers are pale yellow. The plant is hardly worth 
growing, there are so many better things. 
Names of Plants.—Treatment of Crassula. 
—Cuphea Seed not Growing. —What is the mat¬ 
ter with my Crassula ? It grows but little. Does it 
require much water, and what soil ? 
Can you give me names of enclosed plants, also of 
the leaf ? 
My Cuphea seeds have not come up. I sowed and 
treated them as my other seeds, which all did well; 
but have sown these twice, and no plants. 
Mrs. H. G. 
Plymouth, Mass. 
Answer. —1. Your Crassula should have a light, rich 
soil, such as you would give a Geranium. Keep it 
moderately moist when growing, but rather dry when 
at rest. Give plenty of sun and light. 
2. We cannot undertake to name plants from scraps 
of leaves, with no locality or information given. Ho. 
3 is Gilia tricolor; the others are unrecognizable. 
3, If all your other seeds have come up successfully 
and only your Cuphea failed, the seed was probably 
bad. 
Name of Plant. — Will you be kind enough to tell 
me the name of the plant to which the enclosed leaf 
belongs ? Also how to treat it so as to have it flower, 
and what time in the year it should flower. Also 
describe the flower. E. H. 
Gardner. 
Answer. —This is a fair sample of many queries 
which wc receive, accompanied, as in this case, by a 
small dried leaf, broken into numerous fragments. Ho 
information as to whether it is a tree, shrub, vine, or 
harbaceous plant; whether tender or hardy, wild or 
cultivated. Ho locality given, for the writer does not 
give his state. Sometimes we can answer a question 
under all these difficulties; but generally one would 
have to be omniscient botanically to do it. Will many 
correspondents whose questions remain unanswered 
take this explanation as a reason? 
Name of Plant. — Can you name me the enclosed 
plant? It is very bright and does well in the garden in 
summer. Mrs. H. J. Malone. 
Answer. —Your plant is Aehyranthus acuminata. 
Plants of Lady’s Slipper.—Propagation of 
Gloxinias. —Can you tell me where I can obtain 
plants of Gypripedium itcaule, arietinum, speetdbile, 
and pubescens? Can they be had of florists in the 
United States ? Where can I get Saracenia purpurea , 
or Pitcher Plant ? 
How are Gloxinias propagated ? 
Mrs. E. W. 
Galveston, Texas. 
Ansicer. —1. Gypripedium acaule could probably be 
furnished by any florist in Boston. It is very plenty, 
wild, in that vicinity. C. spectabile and pubescens 
could probably be sent you by Louis Menard, Albany, 
H. Y. G. arietinum is one of the rarest of our wild 
flowers and is seldom seen in cultivation. It is more 
curious than handsome. Saracenia purpurea could 
be furnished by any Northern florist. 
2. Gloxinias are propagated by leaves rooted in sil¬ 
ver sand and by seed. 
A good way to find rare plants is to advertise for 
them, and, in reply, you will probably receive letters 
offering them in any quantity. There are parties in 
the West who make a business of collecting Cypripe- 
dia for shipment to England, where they are in de¬ 
mand. 
English. Ivy Dying. —What was the matter with 
an English Ivy I had last winter ? When I brought 
it into the house it looked healthy and was a yard 
long; but suddenly the leaves dropped off and the 
vine died. It was kept wet and I enriched the dirt 
every week. M. Smith. 
Flint, Mich. 
Answer .—It may have been kept in too hot a room, 
or perhaps your enriching the dirt killed the plant. 
The Ivy does not need manure when grown in pots; 
and in any event it must be very well rotted. 
Colors of Amaryllis. — Please let me knowwheth 
er there is more than one color of Amaryllis? 
Clara B. Rice 
Beaver Valley, Pa. 
» 
Answer. —Yes; there are many colors. Those most 
usually met with are red and pink, in various shades 
to white. Then there are many striped varieties, and 
in a lot of seedlings no two will be alike. Some are 
green, a nearly allied plant (A. Teranthus ) is yel¬ 
low, and one very large-growing species ( A. Tracera) 
has blue or purplish flowers. 
Wintering Panicum Variegatum. —Will some 
one inform me through the Cabinet how to keep 
Panicum variegatum during the winter? Mine in¬ 
variably dies as soon as I bring it into a warm room 
in the fall. J. E. H. 
Answer .—It is best kept in a cellar. Take it up in 
autumn and put it in a box, with soil. 
Camellias from Seed. —Please tell me whether Ca¬ 
mellias grow readily from seed, and how old they 
must be before they bloom? Anna C. 
Answer .—We have several times replied to this 
question in full, as reference to back numbers will 
show. Camellias do not grow readily from seed, and 
seedlings do not bloom until large. 
