ON THE PASSIFLORA. 
115 
of cold ; and therefore to select even a greenhouse kind because 
it is more easily induced to bear fruit, would be to annul the 
object: nor would it be reasonable to expect anything quite 
hardy, even with ccerulea employed as we propose, if a stove 
species be included in the cross. It is true in the present con¬ 
dition of the genus the choice of suitable kinds is very limited, 
yet if out-of-door varieties are most desirable, it will be better 
to confine the operation to the most promising that offer than to 
indulge in expectations that are not likely to be realised. 
P. ccerulea, with the beautiful P. cceruleo-racemosa, itself a 
hybrid, seems to hold out the best chance of obtaining some new 
form with the “required hardiness, though we think the species 
of Tacsonia lately introduced from Mexico may be employed 
to much advantage, for some of them have beautiful bright 
colours that our greenhouse Passion-flowers are altogether des¬ 
titute of. The two genera are so nearly allied that there appears 
every probability of their ready hybridising, and the former 
coming from the elevated districts of the country is already esti¬ 
mated as half-hardy, and therefore presents every prospect of 
success. 
There are one or two matters of some consequence in the 
raising of seedling Passion-flowers, which we will point out. 
In the first place, it is all-important that the seed be duly and 
thoroughly ripened, to assist and further which the fruit should 
be allowed to hang as long as possible without injury from frosts; 
slight ones will not cause any material damage, and, of course, 
when thoroughly ripe it will fall from the plant; then the seed 
should be removed from the pulp which surrounds it, cleaned, 
wrapped in paper, and put away safely in a rather warm, dry 
situation until the return of spring. Some of that, which wc 
obtained was sown immediately after gathering, and the whole 
of it so treated refused to vegetate, from being, we suppose, in 
an immature state; the other portion, which was preserved till 
spring, came up very fairly. Our seed was sown in light rich 
earth, and the pot plunged into a brisk hot bed, where in about 
a fortnight the plants began to make their appearance above the 
soil ; these, as soon as they were large enough to handle, were 
removed singly into small pots, and continued in the frame until 
too large for it to contain them; a cool stove then received 
them, where they remained until the next winter. Even with 
seedling plants that we expected to prove hardy, it will be most 
m 2 
