THE PANSEY. 
79 
means employing manure of any kind in a fresh state. The situa¬ 
tion should be an open one, completely clear of trees, and the 
more sun it receives, the better for the welfare of the plants ; a 
square foot is about the space each individual should be allowed, 
for if intended for exhibition, or the production of really fine 
flowers, they must not be left to form large tufts, but a succes- 
sional bed of strong young specimens will be required to come 
into bloom through each month of the season. When the first 
plantation has begun to grow, and lateral shoots, of an inch and 
a half or two inches in length, can be obtained, about half the 
number formed should be taken off for propagating, leaving the 
others to assist in the progress of the plant and the development 
of the succeeding shoots, for though an over-luxuriance is to be 
prevented, we must not fall into the opposite error, and, by cutting 
too much, induce a stinted condition; these cuttings strike root 
readily beneath a hand-glass, covering a bed of sandy earth in a 
warm position; and here I may remark that, as a rule, it is always 
better to carry on the striking process in a sunny spot than in the 
shade, for it is easy to ward off the fiercest rays of the sun, and 
the warmth imparted through the subduing medium of a piece of 
mat or bunting is most beneficial to the cuttings, accelerating 
the production of roots, and helping them forward so much as 
to make nearly a fortnight’s difference in their progress. 
While this part of the management is going forward, the 
bedded plants will be coming into bloom, and unless the soil has 
been prepared to the full as rich as recommended, the assistance 
of manure water, applied liberally twice a week, may be necessary, 
especially if the weather prove dry ; and as the time so taken up 
will probably bring us to near the end of May, when the power 
of the sun begins to be excessive to such fragile objects, we must 
provide shades for the protection of the flowers; various are the 
designs in which these are made: the majority, however, cover 
the flower too effectually, and thus injure the growth of the stem 
which bears it; this must be avoided, and as the simplest form 
is usually the best, I would recommend a piece of wood half an 
inch thick, from fifteen to eighteen inches long, and half that 
number in width; this fitted with a leg ten inches long, driven 
securely into a hole in the middle of the board, and at right 
angles with it, will effectually intercept sun-light without exclud- 
