66 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
January 28, j.905. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Gloxinias. —The whole stock of these should now be brought 
from the store and thoroughly examined. It is 'good practice 
to grade the conns at this time as they are shaken from the 
old soil, potting up the most plump and promising-looking 
bulbs at once for early flowering, and bedding the remainder 
in shallow boxes or pans of dry sandy soil for successional 
pot-tings. Gloxinias started early in the year require care- 
fid handling, as a long time must elapse before they flower, 
owing to the short days and other artificial conditions pre¬ 
vailing finis early. 
Golden rules to observe are clean pots efficiently drained 
and an open, friable compost in conjunction with full light 
and careful watering. A suitable compost consists of equal 
parts fibrous peat, loam, and leaf soil, incorporating some 
sharp sand and a sprinkling of bone meal. 
The size of pots used must be in accordance with the size 
of the bulb. One or two year-old ones may be potted singly 
into 3i in. pots, whilst older bulbs will require somewhat 
larger pots. It should be borne in mind that the larger the 
pot used, the greater care will be required in watering and 
other minor details. The compost should be just moist, and 
used in a fairly lumpy condition; no water will then be re¬ 
quired until they are in active growth. Place on a shelf in 
a genial temperature of about 65 or 68 deg - . Slight syringings 
may be given until the new leaves are formed, when it should 
cease. 
A packet of seed may now' be sown for producing bulbs 
for flowering in the ensuing summer or early in the follow¬ 
ing year. Sow thinly and evenly in properly prepared pans 
of light peaty soil. The seed being very fine should not be 
covered with soil ; instead thereof place a sheet of glass, which 
may be covered with moss, upon the pan, removing it as soon 
as germination takes place. 
Cyclamen. —These will now be making a good display, and 
well-grown plants carrying large numbers of flowers will re¬ 
quire copious supplies of tepid water. The flowers should not 
be cut from the plant but pulled, taking the precaution to 
cut off an inch of the base of the stem afterwards in order 
that they will take up the water when placed in vases. 
Young plants that were raised from seed sown as advised last 
autumn will now be ready for transferring to 3-in. pots, pro¬ 
vided they have done well and have abundance of healthy 
roots. At this potting the bulb should be half buried in the 
soil, lleplace in a genial temperature of 55 or 60 deg., and 
grow on freely. 
Propagating. — Although it is yet early to commence general 
propagation of stove plants, there are many subjects that may 
be struck in order to get them rooted and brought out before 
the busy season is upon us, and when room will be required 
for other things. Edging plants in variety that are required 
in quantities, as Pilea, Panieum, Tradescantia, Sibthorpia, and 
the like, may now be inserted in small pots and plunged in the 
propagating bed : they will quickly emit roots, and may then 
be removed to the stove if only for providing a wealth of good 
cuttings later on. Abutilon Sawitzii is one of the brightest 
and most useful decorative stove plants that we have, and 
any old plants may now be cut down and the cuttings inserted. 
If well attended to these will make nice little plants in a short 
time either for use in table decoration or for arranging with 
Ferns and the like in the stove. 
The above remarks apply in like manner to Crotons, Dra¬ 
caenas, ■and other well-known decorative subjects, small plants 
of which will be in request for decoration in the near future. 
The method of ringing is to be recommended for these and 
allied subjects, and as several excellent articles on the process 
have recently appeared in these pages, I will not occupy space 
in dilating on how it should be performed. Only the best 
furnished tops should be rung- ; smaller shoots should be taken 
off and struck in a strong heat at this time; they will form 
nice plants for use in a small state, or they may be potted 
on for specimens. 
Clerodendron fallax. — Old plants that have been stored 
away should now be brought out, and after pruning them 
back to ripened young wood repot in new compost and start 
them into growth. This is one of the brightest of stove 
shrubs, and should be grown in quantity. When the young 
shoots attain 2 in. in length some may be taken off with a 
heel and inserted in pots of peaty, sandy soil and plunged 
in a strong hot-bed. Seed should* now be sown, and the re¬ 
sulting plants will, if well grown, produce each a head of 
brilliant scarlet blossom late in the coming summer, whilst 
the old plants will precede them. K. M. 
Among the Orchids. 
Calanthes. — The deciduous section of species and hybrid 
Gal an tli es will, with the exception of a few late-flowering 
kinds, have passed out of flower. Wliere the flower-scapes 
have been removed, the plants will enter upon the short period 
of rest; every endeavour must .therefore be made to tho¬ 
roughly ripen the pseudo-bulbs by placing them under light 
and fairly diy conditions. It matters but little where the 
plants are allowed to remain in the old potting compost, or 
where they be' cleared of the latter; but, for convenience sake, 
where storage space is limited, I find it a good plan to turn 
them out of the pots, cutting away all dead roots and laying 
them out on a bed of sphagnum moss and sand, using for the 
purpose ordinary propagating boxes. We are thus enabled 
to utilise' space for other purposes, as the Calanthes are thus 
easily accommodated on a shelf or any diy and light position 
available. The plants are allowed to remain in the boxes until 
they are ready for repotting. 
Temperatures. — The long period of cold and gales of wind 
that have been so prevalent this winter seems likely to con¬ 
tinue with unbated energy. Strong winds are always worse 
to deal with in respect to maintaining desired temperatures, 
but when accompanied with from 5 to 10 deg. of frost, the 
case is rendered so much more difficult, and those in charge 
of the heating arrangements are put to considerable anxiety 
even to maintain the temperature to within reasonable bounds. 
It is in such cases where 1 the thought and careful observances 
learnt from experience by the young gardener afford him 
opportunities of overcoming many of the difficulties. Per¬ 
haps this will be more apparent and beneficial to such a one 
who has come to the responsible position of head. Fluctua¬ 
tion of temperature is one of the first things to be guarded 
against. All the departments should be maintained at the 
minimum degree, rather than attempting the higher, during 
the whole of the dull winter season. This, combined with 
the moisture in the atmosphere, is practically the principal 
consideration to the successful culture of Orchids. There are 
plenty of people who can grow plants under favourable circum¬ 
stances who become totally at sea when the plants have to be 
treated under unfavourable climatic conditions. I do not 
wish to convey that experience will altogether overcome 
adverse circumstances, but the detrimental effects may be 
considerably minimised. 
Ventilation. 1 qften notice ventilation should be freely 
indulged in, that a free circulation of air should be maintained 
at all times, according to writers in the gardening Press. Do 
they wish to infer that it is necessary to resort to the use of 
artificial heat, so as to enable one to open the ventilators of 
our houses at this season of the year ? To me, ventilation is 
one of the chief items for consideration, and one that requires 
to be done with the greatest discrimination. It is not so 
difficult fo deal with plants that are practically at rest in the 
warmer divisions, but the case is altogether another question 
