THE GENUS LISIANTHUS. 
175 
face ; sow the seed, and sprinkle a very little dry sand on the 
top. Place a propagating glass over the pot, or a piece of flat 
glass will do, place the pot in a heat of 70° or 80°, with a pan 
under for future watering ; at no time water on the top, but the 
pan ought never to be allowed to get dry. The seedlings will 
appear in three weeks or more ; when about three weeks up, 
plant them singly in a 60-pot, in the same compost, with plenty 
of drainings in the bottom. Place them again in the back of 
your cucumber-pit or frame ; after this you cannot give them too 
much water over head and in the pans, and by the autumn, if 
they have been kept in a good growing heat, they will be fine 
little bushy plants. Top them at every joint; in September 
shift them into large sixties, merely to keep their roots in a 
more intermediate state for the winter ; after this, all top water¬ 
ing must cease, and a pan placed under each pot to receive the 
watering. As the winter approaches, not a drop of water must 
be allowed to fall on the plant. The drier the top mould next 
the leaves and stem, the more certain of preserving the plant. 
The best place I have found is a one-light pit heated with a 
lining of dung from 50° to 60°, air being given front and back, 
so that no damp can fix on the bars and drop on the plants. 
The second best place is the coldest part of the stove, very near 
the glass ; I have also kept them well in the warmest part of the 
greenhouse ; in all cases, water just sufficiently to keep the plant 
from flagging ; if the winter is dry, once a fortnight, if damp, 
once a month or so. Towards the end of February place them 
in a cucumber-pot or frame, in a heat of from 70° to 75°, and 
when they begin a fresh growth, shift them into as large pots as 
convenient, remembering the larger the pot the finer the spe¬ 
cimen. My largest plant last year had 600 blossoms on it, and 
was grown in a No. 8 pot. As the spring advances, it is almost 
impossible to give too much heat and moisture. They are very 
fond of liquid manure. It is useless to attempt to grow a fine 
plant in any place approaching to a dry heat, or in a temperature 
of less than from 70° to 80°. I have grown them five inches 
in seven days. In removing them out of the pits, great care 
must be taken to prevent the sun shining on them for some 
days, as the change from a damp close heat to a dry house will 
be too much for them. By the above treatment they will come 
into flower about the middle of July, and keep blooming from 
two to three months.” 
