WINTER-FLOWERING PLANTS. 
185 
from the success attending their adoption, we see no reason to 
fear a contrary result from extending the same attention to 
other members of the tribe. 
What we imagine to be appropriate treatment would be to 
divide them into two classes — the naturally early and the na¬ 
turally late flowering kinds. The latter, by retarding, may have 
their flowering prolonged until the earlier ones, by forcing, are 
made to produce theirs; thus those which are blooming at the 
present time, by removal to the conservatory before the au¬ 
tumnal frosts occur, would be enabled to continue blooming 
until mid-winter, or after, when they would be succeeded by 
the forced flowers of the early class. In most cases, however, 
the retarded plants will require to have been potted and pre¬ 
pared some time previous, as it is not reasonable to suppose a 
plant taken from the open border in full bloom, and having its 
roots cramped and broken by potting, will continue in the 
necessary vigour, so that these remarks, in so far as they relate 
to this class, must be taken in anticipation of another season, 
rather than as applying immediately to the present. 
No obstacle of this sort, however, exists with respect to the 
selection of spring-flowering kinds, which, by gentle forcing, are 
to be brought into a flowering state by the end of December. 
These may be potted at once, and got into a proper state, to 
bear the application of heat at the required time. 
With respect to this part of the question, it should be borne 
in mind that the degree of heat employed must be regulated 
with regard to the period at which the plants operated on 
unfold their flowers when in their usual situations. Thus those 
which bloom in February and March will require a much 
smaller proportion than those of April and May to have them 
in flower together ; as, for instance, if Arabis or Hepatica 
were selected, a common frame, with a very slight hotbed, 
would be sufficient to force open their flowers any time in 
December or January, while to have CEnothera or Delphinium 
during the same months, a heat equal to that usual for forcing 
tulips would be necessary : still, this is easily arranged by refer¬ 
ence to the times at which they flower naturally. As we 
intend to offer some remarks on the principles of flower-forcing 
next month, we need not enter on the subject just now, but 
defer it till that opportunity. There is yet another class of 
flowers which may be made to contribute a larger amount of 
