70 ‘THE FLORIST. 
dung, laid up a year beforehand to thoroughly decompose; and when 
we use this, we add to every bushel about half-a-peck of silver sand. 
Select from among your young bottoms, which have been grown 
according to the above directions, those most suited for your purpose, 
if you intend to exhibit. Cut them down early when the wood is 
thoroughly matured, and keep them rather short of water for a time. 
When they have broken sufficiently to show their first two leaves, they 
should be removed from the pot—their roots cleaned from all adhering 
mould, and trimmed in closely. Repot into 82-sized pots; stop them 
when the shoots are sufficiently grown, which will be about November ; 
and if the plants be required to bloom in May, shift them at this time 
into 16-sized pots, and do not stop them any more. Keep them 
thoroughly tied out, watering now and then with weak liquid manure, 
and occasionally drawing the syringe over them, until they show colour. 
At this period, as indeed at every other, attend strictly to fumigation, 
by doing which you will effectually prevent that pest the green-fly from 
attacking them. Should, however, you desire the plants to flower later, 
they must undergo a slightly modified treatment. If intended for June 
blooming, they must be repotted into 16-sized pots in December, and 
be stopped in January ; if for July, they should be shifted in January, 
and stopped in the latter end of February. Syringe more frequently, 
give more liquid manure, and keep them as cold as possible from about 
April, otherwise they will certainly flower earlier than they are wanted 
—especially the July plants, after which their season is over, virtually 
speaking, although they may be kept m bloom throughout August, 
making a nice show for decorative purposes. In this case, however, 
they will be quite out of character. Great care should be taken 
throughout the flowering months to keep off all the sun, to give plenty 
of air, and to exclude anything that is hkely to cause damp. By 
neglecting these precautions, the flowers will go off much sooner. All 
dead leaves and flowers should also be removed immediately they appear. 
If your plant bottoms be two or three years old, they may be treated 
differently. Shift them into their blooming pots a little earlier; those 
intended for May flowering do not stop at all; those for June and July 
but once, and that in February. 
Do but attend to all these little points, as to compost, shifting, 
stopping, tying out, syringing, fumigating, &., and I am sure you will 
be by no means disappointed in your success. Bear in mind also that 
thorough cleanliness in every stage is most important, for not only does 
it enhance the beauty of appearance, but has a great influence on quality. 
Perhaps I may ventnre to give a list of those varieties which I have 
by experience proved to be the very best of the very many before the 
public. With the exception of those marked with an asterisk, I have 
bloomed them all, and even these we have seen, and can fully testify as 
to their good qualities for all purposes. I have shown no preference 
towards the productions of any particular raiser, and, as regards Mr. 
Beck’s flowers, they have been subjected to the most rigorous trial and 
inspection :—Apollo (Beck), *Ajax (Foster), Aurelia (Beck), *Autocrat 
(Foster), *Angelina (Hoyle), Ariel (Fellowes), Bridesmaid (Beck) 
Bacchus (Foster), *Czar (Hoyle), *Douglas (Hoyle), Emperor (Beck) 
