CULTURE OF THE PELARGONIUM. 
169 
in a shady spot in summer; and to guard them from too much 
wet in autumn. 
There are five distinct classes of varieties; viz., the green- 
edged, grey-edged, white-edged, plain or self-coloured, and the 
shaded alpines. 
CULTURE OF THE PELARGONIUM. 
By Mr. W. Smyth. 
The seeds of the Pelargonium should be sown as soon as they 
can be had ripe, or early in the spring, and then they will make 
strong plants for the following spring. Sow it in 48-size pots, 
well drained with broken pots covered with moss, in a soil com¬ 
posed of equal portions of loam, leaf mould, and sand, which 
should be well pressed down ; cover the seed with a quarter of 
an inch of the mixture, slightly press it smooth, and then 
sprinkle the whole with a fine rose watering-pot, and place 
them in a frame or pit where there is a little bottom heat; 
as soon as the plants make their appearance, air must be 
admitted to prevent them from drawing or damping off, andj 
when they have four or five leaves they may be potted into 
small 60-size pots, placing them back in the frame, where 
they should be kept close for a few days, after which air may 
be again freely admitted. By the latter end of September 
they may be taken to the greenhouse, or pelargonium house, 
where they will remain all the winter, keeping them as near 
to the glass as possible ; air must be admitted on fine days. 
In March they may be shifted into 48-size pots, where they 
will remain till they flower. 
Propagation by Cuttings.— By the latter end of June the 
plants will be going out of bloom, and it will be best to cut 
them down, and prepare the cuttings as follows : —- Cut just be¬ 
low the joint, and then take the two lower leaves off. I prefer 
the points of the shoots, for they make the best plants, and do 
not stop the cutting till they have taken root. The compost that 
I use is loam, sand, leaf mould, and peat, in equal quantities, well 
mixed. Take 32-size pots, well drained, and fill them with the 
above compost, well pressed, and sprinkled with a fine rose water- 
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