124 the florist’s journal. 
can be had, there will be equal quantities of flowers for two or 
three successive seasons, after which they should be all taken 
up, the roots divided, and replanted in the same way. If neat¬ 
ness is desired, as well as a stock of good plants producing a 
plentiful supply of flowers in their season, the above is the 
easiest and most certain method that I am acquainted with. It 
may be well to state, that at the time of replanting, it will be 
requisite to leave a sufficient quantity undisturbed for the pur¬ 
pose of lifting for forcing during the winter months. It is rather 
surprising that this plant has not been cultivated with better 
success; the reason of this, in my opinion, is that it has been 
killed by too good treatment. 
From the early period at which the Lily of the Valley natu¬ 
rally flowers, few plants are more eligible for early forcing. As 
I have been rather successful, both as regards general cultivation 
and winter forcing, I will now endeavour to give a brief outline 
of the practice I have pursued in forcing. I pot them in 32-sized 
pots, filled to within three and a half inches of the rim with rich 
loam, upon which the roots are closely placed, and then covered 
about two inches in thickness with equal parts of leaf mould and 
sand; they are then well watered, so as to settle the mould 
about the roots. I then place them on a shelf near the glass in 
a moist stove or forcing-house, the temperature of which may 
range from 65° to 75°, and take care that the soil does not be¬ 
come dry. When they are so far advanced, the plants show 
their heads of flowers, I remove them into a warm greenhouse, 
still placing them near the glass, until as they advance in growth 
they are withdrawn by degrees into a shaded part of the house, 
from whence they are removed to the drawingroom as required. 
When I remove one lot of plants from the forcing-house, their 
places are immediately filled with others, which are similarly 
treated, and thus an ample succession will be kept up. Care 
and attention are requisite in lifting and selecting the plants for 
forcing ; they require a minute examination to distinguish those 
that will flower from those that will not, the only difference 
being that the buds of the former are more round and short 
than those of the latter. I cut off the flowering buds, with as 
many roots to them as possible, and after I have obtained a 
sufficient number the rest are carefully replanted, taking care 
that none of them are lost, for those which will not flower one 
season may do so the next. 
