FEBRUARY. 53 
possible. Success much depends upon the care taken in April to 
render the plants thoroughly inured to any change. Your plants have 
now made good growth. Remove the bottom leaves and eyes to the 
height of three inches ; take out the crown eye, and allow the plant to 
make from seven to ten breaks. 
May.—Repot with the same compost into 24’s. The shoots are 
now at least 4 inches long. Carefully peg them out with thin painted 
wire. Should the plants have made more than ten breaks remove the 
weaker. Plunge the pots half way in the open ground, having a 
southern aspect. Give the plants their second stop. 
June.—Leave the plants as they are till the latter end of the month, 
when they will be sufficiently advanced to be stopped again, and 
shifted into 16’s. The same compost as before, with an additional 
quantity of oyster shells. Bury the pots three parts up in the same 
ground, giving the full heat of the sun. Strictly attend to pegging down. 
July.—Be most careful to keep them pegged, but not too near the 
ground, lest they should root. ‘Train the shoots, so as to preserve a 
perfect circle, and fill up all vacancies. In this month, the plants are 
very liable to break ; care must be taken in this respect. 
August.—Take a favourable opportunity for removing all the pegs, 
carefully lifting the plant, cleaning off all dead leaves, and searching 
thoroughly for mildew. Should this have made its appearance, give the 
plant a good dusting with flowers of sulphur; and, before replacing it, 
‘stop the bottom of the hole in the ground from which the pot has been 
removed, with slate or tile, to prevent the plants rooting through. The 
best way to hinder the lateral shoots from rooting, is to support them 
with pieces of tifes or wood, placed round the rim of the pot. 
September.—Since this is the month of fastest growth, attend in 
the early part most sedulously to pegging and training the shoots into 
the final form. Keep the shoots down as close as possible. Give plenty 
of liquid manure, and syringe three times a day—morning, noon, and 
night ; occasionally washing them with a little tobacco water, which 
will at this season keep away the green-fly and mildew. 
October.—When the buds have made their appearance, the plants 
should be taken up, their pots cleaned, all the dirt and grit syringed 
off the leaves, and sticks, radiating from the centre, fixed horizontally, 
and connected together by one or two circles of twine or fine wire. Tie 
the outside shoots to these, as the plant cannot possibly support their own 
branches ; and remove them into a thoroughly clean house, in which 
they are to bloom. Give plenty of air, and syringe not only the 
Pompones, but the stage also, in order to diffuse moisture. Shut up 
early, with a little sun if possible. 
_ November.—The work is done ; and, if these rules have been properly 
attended to, instead of 100 poor plants, scraggy and searcely worth 
looking at, we have seen a dozen which will fill a large stage, with 
thousands of fine flowers, and whose foliage is truly beautiful. They 
will last nearly to Christmas, when scarcely any other flower is to be 
seen. We like to form our own plants when intended for exhibition, 
we like to arrange our flowers in the best possible manner ; and there- 
fore think it beneficial to introduce a few sticks and ties, as the plants 
