“tmtihansdnt idea Won gaat en en een ee Seer nen Oe Wee Seer) ic ran ce AL ln Meets? Ba , Hj t ry }, ; i Ai il “allifton C College, | \} Science ribrary \ In eee. 7 | | TEU NGTON He E(oc): ay L—INTERIOR THE FLORAL WORLD GARDEN GUIDE AnD COUNTRY COMPANION. Blustrated with Coloured Plates and Cood GEngradings. LONDON: GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS, 5, PATERNOSTER ROW. es OF ZO- ress LONDON : ¥ Printed By Smrmons & Borren, Shoe Lane, E.C. THE FLORAL AND GARDEN GUIDE. WINDOW GARDENING. BY JOHN BR. MOLLISON. Ga) V ERYONE delights in possessing a flower, from the poor | in the back lanes of the city, who treasure their one little plant, struggling for existence in the poisoned atmosphere, to the wealthy with their gardens and Fim plant-houses, stocked with all the rarest plants and flowers that money can procure. The love of flowers arouses within us all the kindliest feelings of our nature, humanises the heart, and fills the mind with pleasant ideas and associations. Many a poor man has been saved from alluring temptations that might have been his ruin, by his spare time being taken up with his love for gardening ; the cultivation of his garden- plot, and the tending of his flowers, proving far more attractive than the company of idle companions, or the false pleasures of the beer- shop. What a pleasant sight it is to see the cottager thus attending to the beauty and comfort of his home. ‘Truly the love of flowers is one of the best agents of the temperance cause ; all friends of the movement should ever make it their endeavour to arouse their hearers to its importance and encourage the establishment of cot- tagers’ flower shows; for the healthy rivalry engendered by them works like a charm for the general benefit of the district in which they are held. The lover of flowers though he only possesses one single plant, enjoys a real pleasure in the care and attention he bestows upon it —a pleasure which the very poorest may enjoy, even though shut up in the heart of a large city. It is principally for those who live in towns and large cities, who have no convenience for cultivating flowers but their windows, that I write these pages. Therefore | will try to give as clear information on the cultivation of window plants as I can, using the simplest language, so that I may be 1 January. 2 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. understood by all; and if what I say should enable anyone to grow his or her flowers to greater perfection and in larger variety, and induce those to grow a few flowers who never have done so before, I shall be amply repaid. But most of all would I hope to confer a benefit on the invalid whom God in His merciful visitation has deprived of the pleasure of enjoying the possession of a few plants, except in the sick room, To iit the invalid more than anyone a flower is ‘7(\ the messenger of joy, soothing the pain > and loneliness of many a weary hour. There is a great variety of flowers which can be grown to comparative per- \ fection in a window, provided the window +) has a southern exposure, more or less, so that the plants may enjoy the benefit of the sunshine; and with the requisite attention to keep them clean, free from vermin, and properly watered. All this I will try to explain in a simple and practical manner. What a wonderful hold the floral beauties of nature have on the human heart! Go where you will in town or country, the love of flowers is displayed on every hand. It holds sway in the city from the button-hole bouquet to the great floral exhibitions; from the struggling geranium in the city alley to the gorgeous display in the parks and public gardens. In the country it is a poor cottage that has not its flower-plot or window plant. What a charming sight it is to pass through a country village where the queenly rose, the car- nation, the pansy, gera- nium, fuchsia, and a host of other favourites glad- den the eyes with their well-known beauties. The general appearance of the outside of a cottage home may be always taken as pretty sure evidence of the character of its in- mates. You can point out at once where the lover of flowers dwells. Every lover of flowers has of necessity a large heart, capable of love and sympathy for all mankind; willing always to think the world very beautiful, and God ever bountiful, who gives all men the breath of life, so that they can enjoy the beautiful works of His hand, and THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. ie) with full hearts to lift their thoughts in thanks and praise for His mercies, even though the troubles of life beset them at every step. I honour and admire the lovers of flowers, and would do all I could to encourage them. Often when I see the cottager spending his even- ing hour in his little garden, and hear him eagerly tell me the history and peculiarities of this and that fa- vourite, my hand fairly itches to give him the right hand of fellowship, and bid him good-speed in his pleasant .occupation. Honour be to those who thus feel the elevating influence of a lovely flower, and I am sure the flowers pay back tenfold interest for the atten- tion bestowed on them by the pleasant feelings, hopes, and aspirations which they arouse within the heart. Now, my dear readers, I will enter upon the practical details of my subject in earnest, and the first part I have to consider is the suitable kinds of flower-pots, pans, vases, hanging- baskets, ete. The common earthen- ware flower-pots are sold by the “cast”; the number of pots in a cast varying according to their size the price generally being three shil- lings per cast. The inside measure- ment of the rim is always taken. There are 60 two-inch wide pots in a cast, which are called “‘ sixties” ; 36 fcur-inch, 30 five-inch, 18 six- inch, 12 seven-inch, 8 eight-inch, and 6 nine-incb, which is the largest size you will ever require, though they run on to 1 sixteen-inch in the cast, which is the largest size made. Any seedsman or nurseryman will supply you. Earthenware pans of yarious sizes are also used, and are better than pots for growing an- nuals, some kinds of low-growing ferns, selaginellas, and for sowing seeds or rooting cuttingsin. You should have one or two of them, - as they are very useful, and for ® some purposes you will prefer them to pots. You should also have earthenware flats for standing pots anuary. 4, THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. in; they are far neater than plates or saucers, which are often used for the purpose, and are moderate in price. =a But the flower-pot allows of a wide definition according to circumstances or necessity, for you will sometimes see fair specimen plants growing in an old teapot, jar, jug, or even, as I have seen, in an oldtin can. I know anold woman at the present time who has a pretty red China rose flourishing in an old tin can, and a small lemon plant grow- ing in an old Coleman’s mustard tin with the bullock’s head on it entire. Well done, old lady, you deserve credit. Still regular pots are best, for they have a purpose-like appearance, though, as I have hinted, the want of pots need not deter any one from growing window plants. All makeshifts, how- ever, should have holes punched out in the bottoms for drainage. Tt is very interesting to have a wire basket hanging from the centre of the window, with a saxifrage or the Aaron’s beard of the cottagers, ivy-leaved gera- nium, or any other hanging plant grow- ing over it. A wire basket is easily made, and when tastefully arranged, is a very creditable thing to display ; but you can purchase them of various de- signs and moderately cheap from any seedsman. The one figured here is a very good example of a gaivanized-iron wire basket. Galvanized iron wire is the best material for your purpose; but you can also make very pretty ones with hazel boughs, willows, knotty wood, virgin cork, or pine cones, which can be nailed on a wooden frame. When neatly made andvarnished, home- made rustic flower-baskets look very pretty. Two or three plies of small wire twined together in the form of a cord, makes a very good suspender for a basket. Three, or at most four, of the twined wires, of sufficient length for the basket to hang down gracefully, joined together in a stout ring, and having small hooks to catch the basket, are quite enough. Harthenware bas- kets, as represented by the figure on p. 5, THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 5 are excellent contrivances ; in them the roots of the plant meet with a more genial material than wood or iron, and have also a neat rustic appearance. But of course your own taste will guide you in the ‘construction or purchase of a hanging basket. An excellent substitute is a little square piece of wood with a hole in each corner, through which strings are drawn, knotted under the holes, and joined above to loop over the nail. This little platform will hold a pot and saucer nicely, and when the plant has grown a little, will be a great ornament to your window. An enamelled tile with a hole drilled in each corner an- / swers the same purpose, and / looks neater. This is the cot- L Ae tager’s favourite way of suspend- \, ing a plant in a window, but |)\ I dare say you will find wire (\(\ answer the purpose better than “\/\ twine. AY Nothing looks so handsome \\\Q as a smail terra-cotta or Etruscan ‘\ tay pot or vase, with a nice plant in it standing in your parlour. Illus- trations of different styles are given in this paper. You should by all means have one or two if you can afford it. They are high in price, ranging from two shillings and sixpence and upwards. Many people cannot afford ornamental pots or vases at those prices, and regret the want of them, for they are really handsome ornaments. I need scarcely say anything to you about cut- flower vases. There are few homes ¥ without a small vase or two for holding cut flowers. They are so easily obtained that it is a pity to see a lovely bouquet stuck into a mug or tea-cup for want of one. Cut-flower vases of glass are now greatly used in dinner-table and drawing-room decorations. They are generally trumpet-shaped, and made in many different styles. The common trumpet glasses are very useful for cut flowers on any occasion. Hyacinth glasses are elegant ornaments when filled with nicely-grown hyacinth bulbs in flower. The common glass ones are January. tio hb ! \ fo : ih | | ia il [am LU L} i iN HT) i) 1, il 1 | NWI (i a Ho 6 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUID3&. very cheap; a more elegant and expensive style has lately come jnto great repute, made of coloured glass or Etruscan ware. You will find it very interesting to grow, perhaps, a couple of hyacinths in glasses. Plants in a room should have orna- mental covers for the pots; you ean purchase expansive wooden ones from the seedsman. They are very pretty, and hide the unsightliness of a common pot from view in the favoured domain of your parlour. You can obtain them either plain, coloured, or gilded; and they will expand to suit the size of any pot, or fold up into small compass when not in use. You can also obtain an improved form, orna- mented with imitation foliage. They are all very durable and moderate ia price. A very pretty and serviceable pot cover could be made with cardboard, which you could ornament to your taste. A cardboard pot cover when ornamented with sea-weed and shells looks extremely pretty. (To be continued.) THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. Us HOME-MADE ASPHALTE WALKS. NUMBER of inquiries have been from time to time made as to the formation and durability of asphalte era Rs walks, and we propose to offer some information on X@ Es these points. For kitchen gardens, or courts, or any- : a here where a clean, smooth, durable path is an object, there is hardly anything better than asphalte when properly laid down. Weeds never grow upon it, which is a vast consideration in a kitchen garden; every shower of rain washes it as clean as a well- swept kitchen floor; it has no offensive smell after it has been down for a few weeks; and it will last under the usual garden traffic for twenty or thirty years. We are well acquainted with kitchen gar- ‘dens where all the walks are asphalted; they have been laid down for many years, and are as smooth and even at this day as they were at the beginning. Some of the shady walks amongst the shrub- beries, where weeds used to grow too fast, are also done in this way, and have long ago become covered with a fine green moss, on which one treads as silently as on a carpet, but no weeds grow on them. We are not here speaking of asphalte put down by regular asphalters, but of work done by the ordinary labourers on the estate, at very little expense and trouble, as we are prepared to state that the walks look just as well as those put down by the asphalters, and are, if anything, more lasting. The regular tradesman, who does the work by contract at from eightpence to a shilling per square yard, perliaps—finding all the materials—puts too thin a “ cake” on, and the consequence is, that the frost breaks it up, rends it in every direction, and then it has to be done over again, for asphalte does not patch well. We have put down in our time many hundreds of yards of asphalte with our own men, and it cost us little more than the gas-tar, which can sometimes be had from the nearest gas- ometer for a trifle, and a few barrels will soak a great quantity of ashes. Usually a good deal of trouble is gone to in draining and bottoming the walks, and in putting the asphalte on at twice; but all this work and the boiling of the tar we have proved to be quite unnecessary, for our purpose at least. With two or three good labourers, the ashes are sifted, soaked, put on, rolled, and finished in a very short time. As to drainage, it must be remembered that the water runs off the walks, and does not drain away ; so that all that is necessary is a single drain along one side of the walk, into which the water is taken by gratings at convenient places. No rubble bottom whatever is putin. If the soil is tolerably hard and solid, the asphalte is just put on it as it is, saving the eutting and making of the edges, and a walk so made is just as good as one with a foot of broken stones beneath it. The best season for the work is in autumn, when the heat of the summer is over, and the frosts have not set in; or in spring, after the frost has gone, and before the heat comes on. The reason of this is, that in hot weather the asphalte does not set so readily, and in frosty weather it is apt to be disturbed and broken up before it does set. January. a 8 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. And now as to the modus operandi. First of all, the walks must be set out and got in readiness, and then the ashes—usually plentiful about a garden—must be sifted. Two men will sift as many in two days as will cover a great stretch of ground. A one-inch sieve or screen must be used. If the ashes are put through a wider mesh than this, they are too lumpy, and do not bed well; and if through a less, they contain too much small, and the “ cake” is too soft and yielding. They should be thrown into acircular flat heap about two feet deep when sifted, and the tar should be led and emptied over them at once—about as much as will soak them the first time with- out draining away to waste, which is a matter of judgment at the time. It is better to give too much, however, than too little, as what tar runs through can be ladled up and poured on again until the ashes absorb it all, which they take a little time to do. As soon as the tar has been emptied on, however, the heap must be turned at once, and turned again, mixing the wet with the dry ashes as the work proceeds, so as to soak up the tar as much as possible; and when finished, the heaps should be thrown into a conical shape, and left to soak for about a week, when the ashes will appear much drier than they were when turned, in consequence of the tar soaking into the cinders more completely, This is the reason of applying the tar twice. If the whole is put on at one time, the half of it will run off, and after the ashes have been put on the walk they will dry and break up like a macadamised road in dry weather. The first dose of tar saturates the cinders, and the second makes them sticky. At the end of a week the second dose must be given, the heap turned as before, and again left for several days. The drainings may be poured back on the heap again ; but if the tar persists in draining through, it is better to let it run away, or use it on another heap; for the ashes must not be puddly, or dripping with the tar, but, as we have said before, sticky only, and no more, otherwise the walk will not set so hard. When it is seen that the material is in this condition, wheel off on to the walk, and spread it about four inches deep, and level it as it is put on with the back of a rake, leaving an even sur- face, and taking care that the walk is slightly rounded towards the centre, in order to throw the water off to the sides. As soon as all has been put on, roll it witi a wet roller two or three times, and keep the roller clean with a besom as it goes along. The usual way is for two men to pull the roller, and one to go behind with a besom, all taking care how they put their feet down. After this, sprinkle the surface with gravel or spar, put through a half-inch sieve, so thickly, as just to hide the asphalte, and roll again for three or four hours, till it is quite firm, and continue the rolling for an hour or two every morning when it is cool, for three or four days. If the work has been done with ordinary care, the walk is fit for traffic as soon as it is finished, and is perfectly clean to the feet. If the gravel has been put on thick enough, it makes a clean, dry surface at once, and keeps its colour perfectly. If more happens to be sprinkled on than will roll in to stick, it can be easily swept off afterwards, when the asphalte has set fairly. A walk finished in this way—and it must be sprinkled with something—has just the appearance of a THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 9 gravel walk smoothly rolled. As regards edgings for asphalte walks, we are aware that the belief exists that box and other living edgings will not grow near gas tar; but this is not the case. We could point to gardens where hundreds of yards of box are growing close to the asphalte, and all other kinds of edgings thrive well enough. It is only necessary to plant the edgings after the asphalte has been put down and is set; and this is not a difficult matter, as the asphalte can be put down and rolled with the utmost exactness, and the edgings can be planted close up to it. THE CINERARIA. =e HE seed of the Cineraria should be sown in autumn, and | as soon as the produce can be handled, they should be potted separately into a soil composed of loam, leaf- mould, and silver sand, in about equal proportions. The ~ young plants are preserved best in a low, cold pit, so that they may stand on the floor and yet be near the glass. The reason for this is, that though they require to be constantly and moderately moist, still the frequent application of fresh water is found to be injurious, and on this account fire-heat is to be avoided, as having a tendency to dry the soil, taking care, however, to pre- serve them unscathed by frost. It is on the condition of the plants through the winter part of the year that the flowering of the suc- - ceeding spring mainly depends, for if not. perfectly healthy now, it is almost hopeless to expect vigorous bloom. About the beginning of February they should be removed into larger pots, and a stronger soil than that recommended for the first potting. The loam and leaf-mould may be continued as before, but instead of sand, well- rotted manure should be used in the same proportion. At the same time a quantity of seed may be sown in gentle heat, to supply plants for bedding-out in the flower garden ; those will continue to produce flowers from the beginning of June till they are cut off by the autumnal frosts. Those that are in pots should be kept, after their final potting, in the same kind of pit until the flowers are just ex- panding, when the greenhouse or other place they are intended to decorate should of course receive them. Throughout the entire existence of the plants, they should be guarded from drought and the attacks of green fly, to which they are very subject ; fumigation and washing with tobacco water are the most effective means of clearing them from the latter. It will sometimes happen that though the plants may bloom most abundantly, they do not perfect seed; the mode of obviating this difficulty is to stand the plants in a very cool, shaded place through the summer, when they produce it in abundance. After flowering, the old stems should be cut away, and the stools shifted back into small pots, preserving them through the winter in the manner advised for seedling. January. 10 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. SOLANUM PSEUDOCAPSICUM. s§HE large-berried varieties of Solanum pseudocapsicum # are invaluable for conservatory and sideboard decora- tion in the late autumn and winter months. Few culti- yators do justice to these plants, and hence we rarely om see such dense, well-berried, and symmetrical plants as the one here figured. The principal secret in the management is to plant them out early in May in a sunny spot, in light rich soil, and encourage early growth by means of regular supplies of water. They may be once stopped in June. In October they must be taken up and carefully potted, and put into the greenhouse to ripen the berries. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 11 THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROCK WORK. ¥H)N constructing elevated mounds for ferns and alpines, the S#| base should be of building rubbish, faced with burrs from the brick-kilns, or with large blocks of stone or flint, if such are plentiful in the district. The soil in the lower parts should be a mixture of sandy loam, leaf- mould, and peat for ferns and flowering plants; and in the wet hollows, for marsh ferns, rotten wood should be used plentifully. The higher portions should be built up with additional tiers of brick rubbish, and with a soil composed of sandy loam, old mortar, and leaf-mould in the interstices, as in these higher portions most alpines do well. The summit may be a bed of rich loam, resting on a bottom of rubbish, for ornamental plants of large growth; but a mere mound, the summit of which is below the eye, should be faced all over with large rough blocks of stone or vitrified blocks, with suitable soil between for the plants. To imitate stratified rocks, regular courses of brickwork are the best, to be built up in cliffs and caves, as may be desired, and then the whole faced with Roman cement an eighth of an inch thick, and the stratifications marked as the work proceeds. When weather-stained and suitably planted, rockwork of such a kind, if on a somewhat large seale, has a natural and imposing effect ; but for small mounds and banks, vitrified bricks or flints, roughly arranged in a few bold curves, are by far the best. A north aspect is the best for most ferns and alpines. Artificial coral for rockwork can be made as fullows—Take four parts of yellow rosin and one part of vermilion, and melt them together ; dip twigs, cinders, or stones in this mixture, and it will give them the appearance of coral, and they become applicable to rockwork, grotto, or any fancy work, as a substitute for that costly article. MANAGEMENT OF PLANTS IN ROOMS. mam O treat of the proper management of plants in houses is f a subject attended with considerable difficulty, every genus requiring some variation, both in soil and general treatment. If the room where the plants are intended to be placed is dark and close, but few will ever thrive in it; if, on the contrary, it is light and airy, with the windows in a suitable aspect to receive the sun, plants will do nearly as well as in a greenhouse. But if they are observed to suffer, the effects may generally be traced to one of the four following causes :—Want of proper light and air, injudicious watering, dust or dirt collected on the leaves, or being potted in unsuitable soil. Want of proper light and air is, perhaps, the most essential point of any to be considered ; for, however well all other requisites are attended to, a deficiency in either of these will cause the plants to grow weak and sickly. Let them always be placed as near the light January, 12 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. as they can conveniently stand, and receive as much air as can be admitted when the weather will allow. Indeed, those persons who have no other conveniency than the house to keep them in will find that they derive immense advantage from being, during fine weather, in spring and autumn, turned out of doors in the evening, and taken in again in the morning, the night-dews contributing greatly to their health and vigour. Injurious watering does more injury to plants in rooms than many persons imagine. To prevent the soil ever having a dry appearance is an object of importance in the estimation of very many; they therefore water to such an excess, that the mould be- comes sodden, and the roots ccnsequently perish. Others, to avoid this evil, run exactly into the opposite extreme, and scarcely give sufficient to sustain life. This, however, is by no means so common a practice as that of giving too much; for, in general, if anything appears to be the matter with the plants, large doses of water are immediately resorted to; and if recovery is not speedy, this nos- trum is again administered, with but little doubt of its infallible restorative powers. But such persons, like an unskilful physician who gluts the weakly stomach of his patient, only hasten on what they are trying to prevent. This overplus of water will show its bad effects by the very dark colour and flabby disposition of the leaves; and if the plant receives too little, the leaves will turn yellow, and eventually die. The best plan is to always allow the soil in the pot to have the appearance of aryness (but never sufficiently to make the plant flag) before a supply of water is given, which should then be pretty copious ; but always empty it out of the pan or feeder in which the pot stands, as soon as the soil is properly drained. The water used for the purpose ought always to be made about the same temperature as the room in which the plants grow. Never use it fresh from the pump ; either let it stand in a warm room all night, or take off the chill by adding a little warm water to it, or the growth of the plants will be much checked. Matter collected on the leaves may either arise from insects or dust. The former may speedily be remedied by placing the plants under a hand-giass, or anything that is convenient, and burning some tobacco until they become well enveloped in the smoke; and the latter may be removed by occasionally washing them on the head with pure water, either by means of a syringe, the rose of a water- ing-pot, or with a sponge, should the dirt still adhere. Being potted in unsuitable soil is by far the most difficult part of the business to rectify, for no certain line can be drawn unless each genus was treated on separately. However, as this cannot be done in a paper like the present, a few general remarks, which, per- haps, with some little exceptions, may be found to be pretty correct, must suffice. All plants whose branches are fragile or slender, and roots of a fine, thready, fibrous texture, with general habits like the Ericas, will require the same soil (peat-earth) and very similar treatment to Cape-heaths. Those whose wood and general habits partially differ, and whose roots are of a stronger texture, as Acacia, THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 13 Ardisia, Stenocarpus, Tetrachea, Tristanea, etc., will require a por- tion of sandy loam—in many cases about equal parts; and where the habits, ete., differ materially from the heath, only a small por- tion of peat-earth will be required, and a compost may be made a little rich by the addition of well-rotted dung. _ Almost all Cape and other bulbs, as Sparazis, Ivia, Gladiolus, Tritonia, ete., thrive best in a mixture of light, rich sandy loam, leaf-mould, and a little peat. Shrubby and herbaceous plants, with luxuriant roots and branches, as several species of Myrtus, Jasminum, Hibiscus, Her- mannia, Heliotropium, etc., require rich loam, lightened with leaf- soil, without any portion of peat. Plants with powerful roots, and but slender heads, as Veronica, Senacia, Scutellaria, Ruellia, Mawrandia, ete., require a light, sandy soil, mixed with a small portion of leaf-mould and very rotten dung. At the time of potting, always lay plenty of broken potsherds at the bottom of each pot, to give a good drainage. It will be seen that these directions do not allude to either orchideous, succulent, or aquatic plants. Many of the orchidee require a portion of decayed wood mixing with the soil ; others grow in damp moss ; but these, being chiefly stove-plants, will not flourish in a room. There are several species, however, that thrive very well both in the greenhouse and in rooms, as Arethusa, Calopogon, Dendrobium, Ophrys, etc. The soil suitable for these is a mixture of about equal parts of light sandy loam and peat. Very little or no water must be given when they are not in a growing state. Succulent plants of all descriptions require very little water, and in general are very easily managed in rooms. Many of them thrive in a mixture of sandy soil and lime rubbish, as Aloe, Cacalia, Cactus, Aizoon, etc.; others grow well in a mixture of equal parts of light sandy loam and peat, as Coris, Cotyledon, Mesembryanthemum, ete. The proper soil for the Geranium is half rich, rotted manure, a fourth fresh yellow loam, and a fourth of equal parts of good garden mould and leaf-soil. Aquatic plants, as Villarsia, Actinocarpus, etc., generally do well in a mixture of peat and loam, and require to be constantly kept in a wet state. Indeed, the best way is to place the pot in a deep pan, or feeder, which should always be kept filled with water. Bulbs of most sorts flourish in rooms with less care than most other kinds of plants. Hyacinths should be planted in autumn. In preparing pots for them, select such as are about four inches deep and three inches wide, put a little rotten dung in each pot, fill each pot up with light, rich soil, and plant the bulbs so shallow, that ‘nearly half the bulb stands above the soil; plunge the pots in the open air, and cover them six or eight inches deep with rotten bark. During spring take them out as they are wanted to bring into flower, and set them in the window of a warm room, where they will be fully exposed to the sun. Those who do not possess a garden may set the pots in a cellar or outhouse, or in the corner of a yard, and cover them with light soil or sand, until they are wanted to bring into the room to flower. When the leaves begin to decay, after they January. 14 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. have done flowering, give them no water ; when the leaves are dead, take them out of the soil, and remove the offsets, and lay them in an airy situation until the time of planting. If grown in water-glasses, they require to be placed in a light, airy situation, and the water will require to be changed once in three or four days. If drawn up weakly, it will be necessary to support the stems. This, however, will not be necessary if they be kept in a light and airy situation. When out of flower, plant them in pots of soil to perfect their leaves, and treat them as above; they will then flower again the succeeding year. GRAPE VINES IN POTS. Sa RAPES grown in pots for forcing, when well furnished ya} with fruit, have a beautiful appearance, and when properly grown make an ample return. For this pur- pose the plants should be raised from “ single eyes,” or a piece of the preceding year’s wood with only one joint, taken off at the spring pruning, and placed in a small pot of sandy earth, setting it in the vinery, where it will progress at nearly the same rate as the parent plant. As soon as it has filled the pot with roots, it should be shifted into a larger one; and if everything goes on favourably, it will require to be again removed, this time into the fruiting-pot, which should not be less than fifteen inches over; and here it will require to establish itself before winter, that it may be in a fit state for resting until the succeeding year, then it must be cut back to within four or five joints of the pot, and afterwards be sub- ject to the same treatment as the mature specimens. It will usually produce three or four bunches the first year, and by pruning back to three joints annually, and supplying the roots with fresh mould when first started, and liquid manure at their most active season, the plants will continue fruitful a long time. CONSTRUCTION OF THE GARDEN FRAME. @ HERE are three sizes of which garden frames are always formed, and they are severally distinguished by the names of one-light, two-light, and three-light boxes or frames, corresponding to the number of lights or sashes ; of which they are composed. The first two sizes are generally employed by nurserymen and market gardeners, chiefly as beds in which to raise tender seeds, or for protecting delicate exotics, and they are thus constructed to be convenient for removal from place to place, as circumstances may require ; but for all purposes of utility, as regards the necessities of the amateur gardener, and its application to the system of management which we are about to describe, the three-light frame is the most suitable. Where, how- THE FLORAL WCRLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 15 ever, the extent of operations is very limited, the two-light frame will perhaps be found more convenient. The dimensions of the three- light frame are generally ten feet long and four feet wide; fifteen inches deep at the back, and sloping to seven inches deep at the front ; but here we would recommend an alteration in the depth from fifteen to eighteen inches at the back, and from sevento ten in the front, as these will better suit general purposes. The shallow frames are well adapted for early forcing ; indeed, better so than the deeper, for in dark and cloudy weather, the atmosphere being thick, the insufficiency of light requires that the plants should be near the glass. But for general puposes we prefer the greater depth, as at any time, if the lesser depth should be required, it can easily be obtained by simply raising the soil on the inside of the frame. The wood of which the frame is composed should be inch and a half deal, well planed and dovetailed together at the joints; the tops should be tied together by two cross-pieces three inches wide, which should be dovetailed, one end into the back and the other into the front, and so placed that they will come exactly under where the lights con- verge to each other. These cross-pieces should have a groove running the whole length up the centre of their upper surface, for ae purpose of carrying off any water that may lodge between the ights. At each end of the frame there should be a piece or slip of wood, three-quarters of an inch thick and about four inches broad, nailed on so.as the upper edge will be level with the upper surface of the light. The object of this is to prevent the entrance of cold winds, which are apt to blow under the lights. The lights should be four feet long, and three feet four inches wide, and glazed with strong sixteen-ounce sheet glass, which is now so cheap as to be obtained in large squares, at almost any respectable glass warehouse, for three- pence per foot. We would direct particular attention to this part of the work, as the tradesmen are very apt, notwithstanding the cheap- ness of glass, to make use of small squares of the thin crown glass, which is not near so durable. We would not, however, recommend too large squares, neither would we sanction, as some have, to putty the laps, but, on the contrary, to have rather narrow, say, six-inch squares, and the laps left open, so as to admit of the steam being evaporated, and also to allow the condensed moisture to escape, which, under other circumstances, would be retained on the interior surface of the glass, and keep up a continual drip and humidity, which would eventually, in dull and damp weather, rot the foliage and young shoots of whatever plants were contained in the frame ; besides, in the event of an accident, when the glass is small, the damage is more easily repaired. When the frame is completed, it should be painted white on the inside, and a dark leaden colour on the outside: The advantage of having the inside painted white is the great additional light which it gives, and the benefit which thereby accrues to the plants. —_—$———————————— January, 16 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. PROTECTION FOR PITS AND FRAMES. =8 HAT some kind of protection is necessary where pits and f frames exist, and that such protection forms a consider- able item in the garden account, will, we are sure, not be denied ; then to preserve such covering in an efficient aaa state for as long a time as possible must be a matter of concern to al! who possess structures requiring it. The accompany- ing engravings will show how this may be done, and the neatness of the frame-ground be secured, and the confusion which mats, bass, etc., laying about to dry, produces, be avoided. _ Fig. 1 represents a skeleton frame, made the size of a frame- light, with diagonal braces, and bound at the corners with iron hoop ; and at each end is a small chain with T-link, to drop into a staple fixed in the frame or pit, by which means the frames are secured in their places. The scantling of timber used is 2 inches by 15 inch, upon which is strained stout canvas, projecting over one end of the frame, so that when more than one is required, the projecting edge laps over the next light, and keeps the wet from going between. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 7 After it is strained upon the frame, it should be well painted—the frame should have been painted before. Fig. 2 represents a rack upon which the lights are stored when not in use, and may be made to hold any number required ; under- neath which, the mats, frigo-domo, etc., when tightly rolled, are put, and consequently will be always dry. The timber used for the rack must, of course, be much larger scantling than that for the frames. CULTIVATION OF THE MELON. mesg Hii melon is naturally a more robust plant than its ally, Af the cucumber, and so far as growing it is concerned, of 5 much easier management ; indeed, plants of the melon might be kept with ease where cucumbers would perish ; and from this it might be inferred that their fruit should be produced at an earlier period than usual, and so it might, was it not for the absence of sufficient sun-heat to give the requisite flavour to the fruit in its ripening process: it could be had in a green state at any time much easier than its relative, but then in winter it would be useless, and hence the reason that we have to wait till April or May for its maturity. On this account it is not advisable to begin the cultivation of the season’s crop of melons before the beginning of February ; these will, under good management and a propitious season, produce ripe fruit by the end of April, and a bed made up successively in each month till July, will give a continued supply throughout the summer and autumn. Melons are usually grown either in common hotbed frames or pits, artificially heated by means of fermenting material, ‘such as fresh stable dung, or a circulation of hot water; the latter is far preferable, because of its greater regularity, more certain and manageable, with half the labour than the best of ordinary hotbeds, and its consequent economy, especially for the earliest crops, when everything depends on a steady continued application of the re- quisite amount of heat. The seed of melons will vegetate at a very great age; plants have been reared from some known to be nineteen years old, and it is generally preferred when saved for three or four years. It should be sown in pots of light rich earth, and shifted singly into small ones as soon as the rough leaves appear. _ Se Fae ate Sar ce: ; af WER 7 nat e ©).55 5 4 ‘. 7 ey) ite THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 33 FUMARIA DENSIFLORA. mameeg HE dense-flowered Fumitory (Fwmaria densiflora) belongs DRA 4m to a small genus of Alpine annuals, some of them being : indigenous to Great Britain. In former times, one of them (Fumaria officinalis) was used in medical practice, being considered a valuable antiscorbutic. Hither the leaves were dried and made into an infusion, or the juice of the fresh leaves was administered ; but it is now almost entirely out of repute. The leaves are somewhat succulent, almost without odour, and have a bitterish saline taste. The name of the plant is derived from the smell of smoke (fwmus) which it emits. The subject of our article was discovered at Montpelier, and the plant has since been introduced into this country. It may be pro- pagated from seed, and can be grown out-of-doors in ordinary garden soil, preferring, however, that which is of rather a light character. It usually reaches the height of about twelve inches, and may be expected to be in bloom from May to August. WINDOW GARDENING. BY JOHN R. MOLLISON. (Continued from page 9.) WINDOW-BOXES. #8| SHALL now consider the construction and arrangement of the window-box, which of itself has become quite an revolving seasons of the year can be marked by a selection of their choicest flowers. Spring comes in with its hyacinths, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops, waliflowers, arabis, daisies, pansies, and other welcome beauties ; summer with its geraniums, fuchsias, calceolarias, lobelias, pansies, and a host of favourites; while autumn brings the addition of stocks, asters, chrysanthemums, and others ; and winter even, with its frost and snowand dull flowerless months, completes the circle with a few branches of variegated shrubs and holly-berries tastefully arranged, giving the window a bright appearance for the season. All this is easily done, and within the reach of most people. A few shillings laid out on this innocent pleasure is money well spent indeed, returning tenfold interest for the outlay in the pleasure you enjoy through your lovely flowers, and the cheerful appearance they give to your dwelling. How delightful and interesting to the eye is a well-filled window- box! What a cheerful aspect it gives to a street or square in a city or town where every other window is gay with miniature flower- February 3 84 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. gardens. Many are the loving looks cast upon them by the passers- by, who admire them at a distance, envious of the favoured ones who have the delightful pleasure of attending to them. It is a treat at almost any time of the year to pass along some of the streets and squares of London, where window gardening is carried on to some extent. There it is evident window gardening \y WX has become an institution, for it is quite a common thing to see the fagades, windows, balconies, and areas of the houses gay with the richest verdure and glowing with all the colours of the rainbow, causing one to wonder that people who see it do not go and do like- wise, as far as their circumstances will permit ; and I am sure window gardening in our towns and cities could be carried on to a far greater extent than it is at present. I hold that every person who has a flower in his window confers a benefit on the town at large, for it helps to brighten up the dulness of the street, and imparts an air of cheerfulness and content to bis own dwelling. Window-boxes are made and sold in various styles of workman- ship and material, and any respectable seedsman will supply you. i Gal 2 a Enamelled tile boxes range from six shillings and sixpence per running foot and upwards ; they are expensive to buy. You could make nice ones of wood yourself, or you might get a carpenter friend to make one for you. Virgin cork is an excellent material for the rustic style of boxes, which you can purchase at fourpence per pound. On this page illustrations are given of the best styles of ornamental flower- boxes now used for window and balcony gardening, which are made by Messrs. Barr & Sugden, of King Street, Covent Garden, London. I will now describe to you how to make a wooden one at very little cost and with little trouble, which will answer the purpose as well as the best made. It should be about eight inches wide by ten —_—— THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 35 inches deep, inside measurement, to allow two inches at the bottom for drainage and one inch on the surface for watering. This pre- vents the soil from being washed over the sides of the box and dirtying the paint or tile, which looks bad. There will be seven inches left for soil for the roots to spread about in; quite a sufficient depth, if good rich soil is used, such as will be recommended in another chapter for pot plants. A pinch or two of guano or dissolved bones may be added and incorporated well with the soil. The length of your box should be according to the breadth of your window, leaving it easy, ee it) Se so as to be handily taken inside at any time. The sides should be of three-quarter inch deal, and as it is best to nail the ends between the sides, the ends should be of one inch deal, and the bottom of the same thickness. Wood of those thicknesses makes an excellent box. Larch is the best kind of pine for the purpose, but a box made of oak lasts very much longer than one made from any other kind of wood. I will not limit the size of the box, as circumstances must decide that point, but for any ordinary window the one I have described will answer best. The outside of the box should now have three coats of paint. Green is the best colour, being Nature’s own choosing, and it accords best with the flowers when growing in it. You can have it nicely done in imitation stone-work by painting it of a stone colour, and while the paint is wet dusting it over with silver-sand. Taste must guide you in the decoration afterwards; all lines, however, must be drawn quite straight, and the parts of designs well balanced, so that there be nothing ill drawn to mar the beauty of the flowers, for a neat, clean, well-painted box adds greatly to the effect, and is always a credit to the person interested. Never paint the inside of a box, for plants do not like paint. I have seen people make nice little wooden boxes much in the shape of a pot but square, which looked very neat and answered the purpose well. A little taste can be displayed in ornamenting them. I must particularly tell you that the window-box should be raised up a little from the window-sill for the sake of drainage, and to keep the woodwork from spoiling in any way. The best plan is to have iron rests fastened firmly to the window-sill to stand the box on, with a catch at the ends to prevent the box from being toppled over at any time by accident. You must also see that the box has proper means for drainage ; five or six holes should be bored through the bottom. If you have not an auger to bore holes with, the kitchen poker heated red-hot will answer admirably. The holes should be about an inch in diameter. If the bottom of the box were made in two February, 36 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. pieces, and an open slit one quarter of an inch wide left between them, it would answer the purpose well. A window-box made of lead or sheet-iron, though more expensive at first, will outlast a dozen wooden ones. I once saw an excellent contrivance for window plants in pots, or to have them planted out. The contriver was a tailor by trade, and a man extremely fond of flowers. Outside the window where he sat at his work he had contrived to arrange quite a little flower garden of a most interesting description. He had two iron brackets fixed below the window, and a zine box placed on them full a yard wide, the sides being nearly a foot high; this he filled with good soil, after providing ample drainage, and there all the season through he kept up quite a grand display of flowers. I often admired his window-box, and the good taste he displayed in arranging it. In the spring it was quite a treat to see his box when his bulbs were in bloom. He was a happy little man, and a true lover of flowers. I often think of him with his little garden, and reflect how much people could do in that way if they would only try, or could have seen the splendid example of my tailor friend. THE WINDOW GREENHOUSE. The Miniature Window Greenhouse, which I will now consider, is scarcely fitted for the centre of large towns, but answers well in suburban districts and country towns. The window greenhouse is a thing of far greater pretensions than the window box. It is an ambitious step towards its great progenitor, the conservatory, and an object which all lovers of flowers, who take a pride in their window boxes, must long to possess. And why should they not possess it? It is but the question of a few shillings, if they have the ingenuity to make one themselves, or can get a carpenter friend to construct it for them. The window greenhouse is the climax of window-gardening, the beau ideal of window-gardeners, enabling them to grow a greater variety of plants, and to get up good specimens for exhibition. But apart from that, it is a great ornament to a room. Whata world of interest is centred around it. Visitors are loud in their admiration of it ; everybody compliments you on your happy inven- tion and the beauty of your flowers. To children it is a treat of surpassing interest. They carry away remembrances of it which they never will forget. But the great event of the season, “ The Flower Show,” is draw- ing near. You have been looking forward to it for months past. You have been dreaming of this or that plant as being the future prize-winner. Now you water and tend them with redoubled interest. Day by day you bave marked the progress they have made towards the state of perfection you wish them to reach. At last you have reared them into fair exhibition specimens, and, on the morning of the great day you stage them on the exhibition table amongst your neighbours’ plants, with nervous feelings of anxiety. But luckis on your side; the prize tickets decorate your favourites, and they stand proudly amongst the others, reflecting credit on your skill as a THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 37 plantsman, and making your heart bound with pleasure when you see them taking the place you had long hoped they would. You feel an honest pride in pointing out to your friends and acquaint- ances the prize-winners of the day. Ah! then you think there is nothing so interesting as your little greenhouse ; and you work at it again with renewed interest, determined to keep up the name you have won, dreaming dreams of future success in the prize-list, if all goes well till the next flower show. The fact is, every one in a country town or suburban district, with a love for flowers, should get a miniature window greenhouse. If you once have one, and be able to grow your plants well, it will become a necessity of your life, and you will be surprised at the interest you take in every plant within it. I will now try to direct you as simply as I can how to construct one for yourself. You must first get a blacksmith to fix you up a pair of iron brackets below your window. They should project out two feet at least ; you must get them securely fixed, as the greater part of the weight of your little greenhouse will lie on them. Then you must fix a narrow three-quarter-inch board up each side of the window, with a cross board above to tighten it, and have all close February, 38 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. fitted and fixed with a few nails to the crevices of the stones. This frame is to secure the greenhouse and to prevent it from interfering with the window’s movements—the ventilation of the greenhouse iy |e eal being independent of the window. For any ordinary window the greenhouse may be of the following dimensions :—Three feet high, two anda half feet wide, and two feet front elevation, the length THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 39 being according to the breadth of the window ; at least six inches all round should be of wood to give small cuttings or seedpots some protection from the sun. There should be at least two astragals down the roof, front, and sides, as it is not so costly if a small pane is broken as if it were a big one. It should be glazed with 21 oz. glass, that is 21 oz. to the lb., and have three coats of paint. White or light stone colour is best. The six-inch board all round may be painted green or in imitation of brickwork, according to your taste. The bottom should be of good strong deal or sheet iron, with several holes bored through it to drain off the surplus water, and an inch of fine gravel should always cover it, as the plants will be greatly benefited by the bottom of the pots standing ona moist surface. The bottom should be screwed to the iron brackets and the sides fitted in and screwed to the upright bars at the sides, leaving the window free, so that its opening or shutting may not be interfered with. The board at the front should be hung on hinges, so that it may be pushed open a little on warm summer days for vertilation. And a ventilating board six inches wide should be fixed on hinges February, 40 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE, at the top next the window, so that it may be easily opened at any time. This ventilating sash may be of wood, but it will be far neater if it be a glass frame, and would not intercept the view in any way. A neat little roller and blind should be fixed immediately under the ventilating sash at the top, to shade the plants when the sun is strong. It must be made to come down close under the roof ; a tight cord down each side will work it well if a little pulley be fixed to the front, and a cord run over it from the centre of the blind. You will soon see the benefit this will be to your plants. It keeps the hot sun from scorching them up and drying their tender roots HAN { ty Nyt HA a by heating the pot, which would soon tell on their health. Shade from the sun when it is hot gives your plants a green healthy appearance and keeps them longer in bloom. The miniature greenhouse I have attempted to describe to you, is avery good size for an ordinary window; though it may reach high it cannot darken your room. Besides, the plants will form a natural blind far superior to anything else, and will always bea pleasure whenever the eye turns on them, while the fragrance and beauty of the flowers may at all times be enjoyed, though the inmate of the room be an invalid, who, more than any one will appreciate and enjoy a window greenhouse. To such a one the | —<———S —— = — = —S= SS — cs : = THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 41 sweet smell and sight of flowers would be an immense benefit, some- times doing more real good than all the doctor’s drugs. = Ez == = = 3 Se == a —— Ss SEE ———= — — EB == — SS a SS = —= IK) i ni i iil i | nH Window greenhouses, fern cases, and aquariums, in a great variety of styles, are sold by the principal seedsmen in London and February, 42 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. large towns. They all range from five pounds and upwards, and are excellent in their way; but their price puts them out of the reach of most people. You can easily construct your own by following the directions I have given, and I would strongly advise all who can to try. You will find it a real pleasure if once in working order. On pp. 37 and 40 are illustrations of plant cases for the outside of windows, very often met with in London and other towns. They are extremely elegant contrivances, and are very pretty when filled with ferns and other plants. But the very height of refinement and elegance in window gardening is represented on pp. 38, 39, and 41. Bow or French windows are especially adapted for carrying out this arrangement ; and, where cost is a secondary consideration, a very picture of beauty and elegance can be carried out, to the beautify- ing of your home, the credit of yourself, and the admiration and delight of all your friends and acquaintances. It can also be carried out on a smaller scale in any window having a recess; and I am sure many little contrivances in this way will suggest themselves to your mind if you once apply yourself to the subject. (Zo be continued.) ON THE CULTURE OF THE FUCHSIA. HE season is now at hand when all desirous of producing fine specimens of this beautiful plant should at once commence selecting from their stock some of the finest, most healthy and vigorous plants, for the purpose of starting into growth. Commence by shaking them clean out of the old soil, prune the roots by shortening them back, also prune the tops by cutting back the shoots to the distance of two or three joints from the stem. Of whatever shape you wish to grow these plants, now is the time to decide; if of a pyramidal form, prune back all the side-shoots, leaving only short spurs from the stems, and allow the leading stem to go as far as there are side- ‘shoots or spurs to furnish it ;—for a dwarf bushy plant, prune the side-shoots back to the same distance as the above, but shorten all the leading shoots, and reduce it into a compact and neat form. Prepare some good turfy loam, with the same quantity of fibrous peat, half the quantity of well-decayed leaf-mould, some rubbly charcoal, and sharp sand ; mix these well together, taking special care to well drain your pots before potting. I have always found a few large potsherds at the bottom of the pot, and upon the top of these some coarse charcoal, suit the fuchsia admirably. I know of no plant that delights in charcoal more than the fuchsia, always observing, upon shifting the plants into larger size pots, their roots adhering to it, and presenting the most healthy appearance. When performing the potting of them, bear in mind not to use the pots too large at first, always allowing room for two, or, in some cases, three shiftings. When potted, place your plants in a moderate THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 43 heat, where your thermometer is ranging from fifty to fifty-tive degrees. Care must be taken in watering them, not to supply it too bountifully at their roots until they are ina more forward state of growth ; but on clear bright sunny days, syringe frequently over their heads with water of the same temperature as the atmosphere of the house they are growing in. This will soften the bark, and cause them to bring forth the young shoots with more vigour. As soon as the young shoots have obtained the length of three joints, pinch out the tops; this will cause them to break back, and be the means of furnishing your plant with foliage well down to the pot. When they have again broken, if all goes well, they will require a careful examination of their roots, and repotting into larger pots, using the same compost as before (not forgetting the charcoal drainage). When done, place them again into moderate heat, where they should remain until they have filled the pots with roots. When this is ascertained to be the case, remove them into a cooler house, or lower the temperature gradually of the present one, when they will shortly begin to show their bloom. If early-blooming plants are required, allow the bloom to remain; if not, pinch out the tops again, and this will cause them to throw out another course of vigorous shoots ; and when these are grown an inch long, the plants may be shifted once more, as final. But, should very large plants be the principal object of the grower, they can be shifted again as they advance in growth, and at this season may be supplied with seme stimulant in the shape of manure-water about twice a week; be cautious not to give it to them over-strong ; rather supply it more frequently, and at a moderate strength, as it often injures their roots, and reduces them to a delicate and unhealthy state, when disappoint- ment and often a total failure is the result. The most direct and safest plan to procure a supply of liquid manure is—to brew your own, by adding half a bushelof cow-dung to eight gallons of soft water, allowing it to stand twenty-four hours before using. If the cow-dung should be fresh, the liquid will require diluting with an equal quantity of clean water; but if decomposed, it will not require reducing in strength, and may be used as made by straining it through coarse canvas or other material, for, without some such precaution, it will be found to close the pores of the soil, and the plants will become stagnant and unhealthy; but when judiciously applied, it amazingly improves the growth and assists the plants in throwing out and retaining their blossoms and foliage both strong and robust. It is at this period the charcoal discharges its important duties: being of a porous quality, it absorbs the manure- water when given, and holding it, supplies the plants as their nature may require. Bye. February. 44 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. FORCING SHA-KALE. = HE sea-kale is a native of Britain; found in abundance fi on the sea-coast, growing on rocks and stony places, in the vicinity of Brighton, Worthing, Hastbourne, and other places. It is a very useful vegetable, and highly esteemed in most families. By attention to its cultiva- tion, and good management in forcing, it may be kept in succession for a long time, and that, too, when most vegetables are scarce. Having had considerable success in growing this plant, I am inclined to lay before you my practical mode of culture. Sea-kale is propagated in various ways; from seeds sown in the open ground, from pieces of the root cut in lengths, and from plants two or three years old. Some prefer the latter system, but whichever mode is adopted, the ground must be well prepared by trenching, with the addition of plenty of good fresh manure in the autumn, laying it up in ridges during winter, that the frost may act on it. In the spring it will require to be forked and carefully turned over, to get it in good order. The time I prefer for sowing is the last week in March, or the first week in April. I find that, if sown before that time, it is liable to go to seed, which spoils the crown for the season ; and, on the other hand, if sown later, it will not be sufficiently strong for forcing in the following autumn. I sow in rows, about one foot apart ; when the plants are up, I thin them out to six or nine inches distant, keeping the ground between them well hoed and stirred, which I find of great utility. I propagate from pieces of the root, cutting them into lengths of about four inches, pricking them into rows two feet apart, and one foot in the row. This is done in the month of March; they soon root, and become callous at the top, when several crowns will appear; but great care must be taken to have the crowns all plucked off with the exception of one, which must be left to grow during the summer. If this precaution is neglected, the plants will, in a great measure, be useless; for when there are several crowns crowded together on one plant, the nourishment will be divided: consequently they will be small and weak ; but if one only is left, it will receive all the nourishment derived from the root, and will, if attended with frequent hoeings, be large and fit for forcing the next season. To form a new bed of sea-kale, in order to force in the open ground, I prefer one-year-old plants, as small as I can procure them. I plant them on a raised bed, at least two feet high and five feet wide, putting two rows on each bed, and the plants three together, in triangles, two feet apart. To force them, I place a large kale pot over each three crowns, and then cover the whole surface of the bed with leaves to the thickness of two feet, which makes the alleys four feet deep. The leaves impart a genial heat through the bed to the roots. However, I prefer forcing sea-kale in the following manner: To cut off the crowns about four inches below the surface of the soil, and place them thickly in seed-pans with soil ; then put them under the stage of a store with a large pot over the pan, covering the pot with leaves and dung, and keeping them as close as possible. In this manner THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 45 the plant will come as strong, tender, and well blanched, as if grown in the usual manner out-of-doors, and with one quarter the labour. In the following spring the roots are cut over, for the crowns break up very strong; and much attention in thinning them is necessary, for if more than two or three heads are left to each, they will crowd and spoil each other ; whereas, if this is attended to, and the surface kept hoed deep, with the application of manure-water during their growing season, a supply of good strong crowns will be produced for next year’s forcing. This is the system I practise, and consider myself amply repaid in the result for the little extra trouble I have taken. H.S CULTIVATION OF THE DAHLIA. — Sg HE month of February may be considered as the com- 47 mencement of the dahlia-growers’ operations; the 2-4 B34) roots are then drawn from their resting-place, and after bia IZ being carefully examined, all traces of rottenness re- "moved, and the labels made right, they are either potted and plunged into a gentle hot-bed, or placed in the heat without any other preparation. As soon as the new shoots have grown from two to three inches in length, they are taken off with a sharp knife, the heel or base of the cutting pared square, and then placed by itself, with its name, into a small pot filled with sand, leaf-mould, and loam. Each cutting as it is potted should receive a gentle watering, and be immediately returned to the hot-bed, taking special care to shade them from the sun until they are rooted. Sometimes, with scarce sorts, the young plants have their tops taken off, and every bit of a shoot which rises from the old tubers is also struck, a practice that nothing but the natural desire to “make the most of a good thing’ can excuse, as it entails weak, unhealthy plants, which cannot possibly produce fine flowers. The amateur who grows only for the sake of really handsome blooms, should not allow this desire to extend beyond just the strongest shoots, or disappointment will inevitably ensue; and these, when struck, should be encouraged to grow by frequent shifting, and every other means, that when the season arrives for consigning them to the open garden, he may not only find healthy, but truly vigorous plants for the purpose. Between the periods mentioned, and over which this re-potting and stimulative regimen extends, the plants should be gradually inured to the action of the sun and air, that they may receive no check on the final remove; for nothing can be more unreasonable than to expect that, after being confined, as is too frequently the case, in a little pot for three months, and until its roots have been interwoven to a complete solid body, such plants should proceed with the rapidity and vigour of one to which attention has been given, and consequently has all its energies in an active, healthy state; so also it is equally wrong to defer the propagation until the last minute, and then as soon as a single root or perhaps February. 46 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. two, are emitted by the cutting, the poor little thing is at once exposed to the crippling effect of a cold wind, or the enervating influence of a scorchiug sun. The end of May is the usual time for transplanting to the open ground, as in ordinary seasons all danger of frost has passed away, and unless the weather is particularly serene and genial, the plants should be protected by handlights or some other contrivance until they have become re-established. We have been thus minute over the first part of their culture, because we believe that very much depends on how they are then managed, not but that a great deal less trouble will suffice when merely grown for ornamenting the borders ; so that plants can be had at the desired time, being sufficient for that purpose; but we are now writing of the treatment of such as are cultivated for exhibiting, or the production of the very finest flowers. We have indeed seen it printed that to take off cuttings, or incur the trouble of starting the roots at all, was quite needless ; that merely planting the tubers in the open ground in April was sufficient, or even to treat them as annuals, by sowing for the supply every season; and perhaps this is enough in some places, but the results of such a system must only be viewed at a distance, as fine flowers cannot be expected. When the plants have attained the height of a foot, stakes should be placed to them, that they may not receive injury from the wind; and as they grow, attention should be given to the removal of all superfluous shoots that may spring from the bottom, and it is also desirable to thin the flowering branches near the top of the stem before they become large, tying out those which are allowed to remain, that light and air may be admitted to the interior of the plants; this will occupy the greater part of the summer, and in August the first flowers may be expected, from which time unceasing attention will be required to the thinning of the blossom buds, tying and loosening of ties, watering, trapping of insects, and shading the flowers. The first-mentioned operation should be per- formed when and wherever a more promising bud than usual makes its appearance, allowing the whole energy of the branch from which it springs to be devoted to its sole use, as any rivalry between two or more flowers is sure to terminate in disadvantage to the whole of them ; indeed, it is sometimes found desirable to reduce the number over the entire plant, in order to give strength and size to the remaining flowers. Watering is an important aid at this period, and must not be neglected ; to save a considerable amount of trouble it is advisable to cover the ground, for the spave of a couple of feet round each plant, with half-rotten dung, or other mulch ; this keeps the earth from drying rapidly, and, by being watered over, causes a genial damp atmosphere near them, besides the advantage gained from the particles of manure which wash downwards to the roots; once a week diluted liquid manure should be applied, and in this and all other waterings it is better to give a thorough soaking, even at some distance of time between, than to apply small quantities ever so frequently. The depredation of insects is a constant source of annoyance THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 47 from the opening of the first blooms till the close of the season, and unless their destruction is unceasingly persevered in, the cultivator’s expectations cannot be realized; earwigs, those insidious lurking foes, are most common, and much to be dreaded. The trap generally used for the destruction of these insects is a small flower-pot filled with hay, and inverted on the top of the stake that supports the plant. The pot should be daily examined, and the contents destroyed. The small insect, commonly known as the “ thrip,” is also very destructive, attacking the leaves and buds, and by puncturing destroying their vitality ; the best measure both of pre- vention and remedy in this case, is to frequently syringe the whole of the plant, throwing the water with sufficient force to dislodge any that may be on them. Should it happen that the thrip have effected a strong hold of the plants before they are discovered, the foliage and stems should be dusted over with sulphur in the middle of a hot day; the fumes arising from this are fatal to the insects ; and to extirpate the few that remain, employ the syringe heartily, which will at the same time remove them and the sulphur together. To enumerate the various methods of shading would occupy so much space that we are compelled to speak only of those commonly employed ; the cultivator’s taste and means will generally regulate these matters better than can be done by the most detailed de- scription. It must be understood, however, that it is only the blooms which are to be covered, as to shade the leaves would be to destroy the energies of the plant. On the approach of frosty weather the layer of mulch round the stems should be increased in thickness and extent to effectually preserve the roots, and when the foliage becomes injured past the hope of endurance, they should be cut down, leaving the tubers in the ground a week longer to ripen; when they are taken up, remove the soil, and set them in the sun till perfectly dry, after which any cool place where they can be secured from frost, moisture, and light, will be suited to their preservation through the winter. * R. W. P. CULTURE OF THE ANEMONE. =) would be difficult to enumerate the variations in colour Wa this gay spring flower assumes ; so sportive is its nature (og | in this respect, that there is a diversity of the mixing ms, 4| of the white with the various shades of scarlet, carmine, rose, red, violet, blue, slate, etc., in each individual flower raised from seed, by which is produced the double, semi- double, and single varieties, and few there are among them but claim our admiration. The anemone has not of late years been so much cultivated by the amateur florist as formerly, for what reason we are at a loss to discover, for it is not difficult of cultivation, growing freely in ordinary garden mould, when of a scanty quality and in tolerable good heart, although it is customary to prepare February. 48 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. compost expressly for this purpose, and where it is convenient the following will be found excellent :—Fresh earth from a common, or some other pasture land, that is of a light or sandy quality, whether of a yellow, hazel, or dark colour, is not important; it should not be taken deeper than four or six inches, with the turf included ; such soil will be sweet and fit for immediate use. First having beaten out the earth from the turf, and clearing it of obnoxious insects, add to it about one-third of decomposed cow-manure, to be well incorporated with the above; before using, rake out large stones, but do not screen the compost, it is much better without. About the beginning of September is the proper time to prepare the beds for planting; if the soil be wet, the beds should be raised about six inches above the paths or surface of the ground, laying at the bottom some of the coarse rakings from your heap, by way of drainage; but if your soil be a dry one, three inches will be sufficient. The compost intended to plant the roots in should be about one foot thick, therefore you must remove some of the garden earth to make room for it. The beds should be made up at least two or three weeks prior to planting, in order that the soil may settle; before you commence, stir the surface of the bed to about three or four inches deep, then raking it to a level surface, divide it into four-inch squares by drawing lines each way, and plant the roots in the centre of the squares, which will keep them in line in an uniform distance. Some use a small trowel for this purpose, while others make use of their fingers ; it matters little which, so that the bulbs are planted about two inches and a half deep, with the eyes upwards ; this being accomplished, with the back of a rake draw the earth over the crowns of the roots, so as to cover them about two inches thick. The best season of planting, for an early bloom, is about the middle of September, and for a middle bloom, in October ; others, for still later flowering, may be planted in December, or the beginning of the year, and, though late, in most seasons flower exceed- ingly well, but do not produce such fine increase. J. W. GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE GRAPE VINE, BY &. W. BP. 45 will begin by treating of the management of the grape | vine in the open air, and will presume that care has Uy been taken in selecting the most suitable position on Av) planting, for it is quite certain, that unless the roots of 5 aaa out-door grapes are in a very favourable position, there will exist but little probability in our variable climate of the fruit ever attaining to perfection, as regards flavour, even if it ripens at all. Let them, by all available means, be placed so that they may be fully acted upon by the sun, and if, in addition, the supply of moisture can be acted on, it will greatly facilitate their management. i eS —— THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 49 Could we, under all circumstances, regulate this, much would be done to insure a crop of ripe grapes every season; thus by irri- gation, the new developments might be encouraged in early summer, when they are often stationary, in consequence of dry weather ; and, on the other hand, in autumn, had we the means to thoroughly drain the mould about the roots, it would go far to induce ripeness, which, under the influence of ordinary seasons, is deferred till so late, that injury from frosts is a matter of frequent occurrence, and in wet autumns the fruit is entirely spoiled, because of its inability to ripen. The strange anomalies that yet prevail in the science of horticulture, from a waut of attention to principles, is perhaps nowhere so evident or frequently met with as in the management of the vine. We plant them against a wall to induce previous maturity, which at the same time we prevent by placing the roots in a soil as unctuous as the bed of a river, and crowd the branches so thickly together, that the wood and its fruit are as completely shaded from the influence of the sun, by the over-luxuriant_ foliage consequent on the position of the roots, as though the whole were enveloped in a blanket, and yet marvel that our grapes so seldom ripen. The “long rod’ method of training is to be preferred for vines in the open air because of the less amount of shade; and that the wall may be properly covered, the horizontal branches should be trained along at about a foot from the ground, and the rods upwards from them, at not less than two feet from each other. By the beginning of March all pruning should be completed, and the plants nailed up; after which no further attention will be required until Midsummer, by which time the bunches will have set, and the berries require thinning ; this should be done with a pair of pointed scissors, leaving the remainder loose upon the bunch, so as to have room for each individual to swell to a full size, and at the same time the branches which bear them should be shortened to the joint beyond the fruit, and any after-shoots that may appear from these laterals must be taken away as they come, that the bottom growth may be encouraged to occupy the wall for the next year. In nailing the young shoots of a vine, care ehould be taken to leave the shred loose round the branch, because the latter will swell very much, and if at all obstructed in its upward progress, become crooked or perhaps break. Towards the end of summer, if very dry weather occur, the plants are liable to attacks from red spider, and if this happens before the fruit is fully grown, measures must be taken to reduce their numbers ; clear water thrown with force from a garden-engine is perhaps the best remedy, and if frequently re- peated, will certainly dislodge them, or the leaves may be dusted over with sulphur. When the fruit is just ripe it should be covered with gauze bags to exclude insects, and on the approach of winter the branches should be partially unnailed, that the air may get at the back of the branches, to ripen the part previously confined to the wall. The pruning may then be done, and the wall washed with a mixture of lime, sulphur, and soot, if it is supposed there are many insects in the crevices. February. 4 50 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. In the greenhouse grapes can never be more than a secondary consideration where the regular occupants of the house are at all cared for, their management differing so greatly from that proper for the majority of greenhouse plants. Yet, with some judgment in alternating the treatment, and a little allowance for trifling in- feriority in both, a medium crop may be obtained. As some part of the collection will remain in the house until June or even longer, the first stage of the vine’s progress will be slow, and the ripening of the fruit consequently deferred till rather late in the season, unless an endeavour is made, through July and August, to get them forward as rapidly as possible. The vines, in the earlier stages of their growth, require an elevated and very damp atmosphere, which is decidedly inimical to the health of the general collection of plants; the latter must therefore be removed to the open air, or some other place, as soon as the weather will permit, and if some slight pro- tection can be afforded them, the removal can take place at the beginning of May. The house should then be kept close, com- paratively, in order to raise the temperature to about 70° through the day. Freely syringing the foliage every night and morning, and the liberal use of water on the paths and floor, will maintain the requisite amount of moisture in the atmosphere necessary to their full and early development. As the berries begin to colour, the atmosphere should be rendered as dry as it was moist before, that the fruit may possess a full deep colour and rich flavour; but unless this can be effected in the early part of the autumn, by pursuing the course pointed out, it will be quite impossible afterwards, as the plants will require toreturn to their stations, and then the necessary waterings will create so much damp in the house as, in all probability, will lead to shanking and rottenness, especially if the weather prove at all cloudy. The summer must therefore be devoted to the vines, and after the crop is gathered, they may be taken out of the house, so as not to interfere with the winter management of the plants. When grapes are grown in the regular vinery, of course they are the permanent object, and nothing antagonistic to their welfare can be permitted, though it not unfrequently happens that false economy induces the introduction of other subjects as difficult to reconcile as even New Holland plants. In such cases perfection never is or can be arrived at. The period of starting the vines, as it is called, or commencing the seasonal action, depends entirely on the time the fruit is destined to be ripe. The earliest crops are started in November ; these are usually ripe in April and May. But the most usual time is January; and for real excellence, perhaps, this is the best that can be selected, because the vines then progress in unison with the season, or rather they have the advancing season to aid them. When it is determined to commence exciting the plants, they should be pruned and cleaned, by removing the loose bark from the stems and branches, and if insects are suspected of har- bouring on them, the whole should be coated with a mixture of lime and sulphur, or so{t-soap and sulphur, made into the consistence of thick paste, and applied with a brush, taking care to rub it into every crevice. This will prove fatal to the mealy bug, scale, red THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 51 spider, and all other hybernatory insects that usually infest the grape. When thus dressed, let them be tied to the rafters loosely, and close the house. No fire-heat will be required for the first fortnight, and the increase of temperature must subsequently be brought on in a very gradual manner; 45° may be taken as quite sufficient for the mean temperature of the first month, or till positive signs of action are observable in the buds, when it may rise 5° more, continuing at that till the first leaves are fairly visible, when again 5° more may be added, and the application of moisture commence. This is best provided in the early stages of growth, by means of evaporating pans on the heating apparatus; but as the leaves are unfolded more will be required, and the syringe may then be used with advantage. In the third month from starting the foliage will expand, and the flowers begin to open. This is perhaps the most important period. It is necessary to syringe freely over the leaves, that they may be kept in a healthy, vigorous condition ; and as the sun will be gaining power, air must be admitted to keep the tem- perature of an even character; it may reach 70° before the lights are opened, and then a little opening at the top of the house will keep it steadily at that point; continuing thus till the flowers are just bursting, when rather less moisture should be employed till the fruit is set, which, if the plants are nicely managed, will occupy about four days or a week; and during this time if the weather is favourable, a rather free admission of air may be indulged in, which, by drying the atmosphere of the house, will help to ripen the pollen, and render its distribution more easy and certain. It is a good plan, as a further assistance to this desirable object, to give the stems a smart shake once or twice a day; and by some it is recom- mended to syringe the flowers all over, as a means of scattering the pollen, but this seems rather objectionable, as the water may remain on the flowers long enough to destroy its fecundating powers, while a dry air must be more conducive to its ripening and spreading. As soon as the berries are observed to be set, an abundant supply of moisture must again be given, that they may swell freely; and to assist them in this stage, the introduction of ammoniacal vapour is found very beneficial, and may be easily provided, by placing in the house a quantity of sweet fermenting stable dung, to be turned to account also in the provision of bottom-heat for other things grown in the same erection, as French beans, and a variety of similar matters. Tanner’s bark is commonly used for this purpose, and, though more cleanly and regular in its action, is not quite equal to the dung in its production of ammonia. Air must now be admitted in quantities proportionate to the state of the weather, and the more that can be given, provided that the internal temperature is not less than 65° or 70°, the better for the grapes, as much of the mischief known as “ scalding,” etc., arises from keeping the house too close. If the vines are progressing in a healthy manner, they will bear a free current of air on fine days with manifest improvement; but it must not be admitted in large quantities suddenly, or the chill igi is quite likely to carry off the entire crop. Thinning the erries and bunches is an important operation, occurring when the February. 52 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. fruit is about the size of peas. The number should be reduced in a regular, equalizing manner, till they hang so that each individual will have room to swell to its greatest size, but not more, or the bunches will have a meagre appearance. The latter will, perbaps, require reducing in proportion to the strength of the vine; for the cultivator may rest assured that it is better economy to thin an excessive crop down to a moderate one, and thus secure superior quality, with the reasonable expectation of its being repeated in the next year, than to take a heavy crop of small, ill-flavoured fruit, to the almost certain prejudice of those to come in succeeding seasons. In conducting this operation it is advisable to avoid handling the fruit ; it can be held with a crooked piece of wire, while the berries are extracted with the scissors; for when rubbed with the fingers it is supposed a predisposition to “shanking” is incurred, when the berries rot or shrivel at the point of union with their footstalks, just before they are ripe—a disease but too well known in all its forms, but for which many opposite causes are adduced, without any satis- factory explanation being arrived at either. Our own notion refers it rather to sudden changes in the atmosphere, as either an excess of moisture, or the rapid lowermg of the temperature, when the fruit is nearly or quite full-grown, is known to produce it. Some care is necessary at the time the berries are changing colour, to properly regulate the heat on this account, and as ripeness ensues, the principal attention should be addressed to keeping it rather below the average, by the admission of larger quantities of air, which, as before remarked, increase the flavour, and imparts a finer colour and bloom; the sashes may then be opened, so as to keep the temperature down to 60°, and even lower, when they are quite ripe, only closing to exclude damp. RONDELETIA. =HESE truly handsome stove plants are named after i] Rondelet, a French botanist of the sixteenth century, and belong to the important natural order Cinchonacee, the genus chiefly occurring in America and the West ~ Indies. There are about fifteen species of Rondeletia known, but perhaps the best for a general collection and the grandest of the series, is the scarlet-flowered species, RB. speciosa, the subject of our engraving. Rondeletias require peat and sand to grow in, with a brisk moist heat while growing, and may be easily propagated from cuttings of half-ripe wood taken off close to the stem, and shortened to four joints each. The cuttings should be planted in pure silver sand, covered with bell-glasses and plunged in heat. The glasses should be taken off every morning, be wiped dry, and replaced, and in dull weather may be kept off a few hours at atime. As soon as the cuttings have rooted, pot them off in sandy peat and plunge them in a brisk heat till they have filled the pot with roots, then shift to a THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 53 size larger, using sandy peat with one-fourth part of loam added. The next shift will be into their blooming pots, when great care must be taken to afford plenty of drainage, but placing a layer of moss over the cracks to prevent the fine earth running down among them. Over-potting is most injurious, and it is only by a regular course of progressional potting, using at each stage pots only one size larger than the last, that a satisfactory bloom can be obtained. The best time to pot is immediately after they have done flowering, RONDELETIA SPECIOSA. but if needful they may be shifted six weeks before flowering, but never on any account later. When coming into bloom, they require plenty of water both overhead and at the roots, and the temperature should not be lower than 70°. During summer, the temperature may range from 65° to 90°; during winter from 50° to 60°. They are usually trained on wire palloons, and if carefully done the blossoms may be displayed very effectually, but sufficient support may be given by means of stakes or wirework, of a height of eighteen inches, when the bunches may be arranged to fall over in a free and natural way, February. 54. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. THE RANUNCULUS. 9/0 R the culture of the Ranunculus let the ground, what- i) ever its texture, be well manured, and thoroughly dug and pulverized. The best time for planting is the last week in February; the surface should be entirely removed to the depth of about two inches, not more, md betes raked level, the roots are placed on it, and the surface mould returned. Some recommend the month of October for planting; this we object to, except in the case of requiring an early bloom for flower-garden purposes, when it is best to plant only the hardy turban varieties ; with the others there is considerable danger of their receiving injury from frost and excessive wet, and consequently, it is preferable to defer it to the season first mentioned. When the blooms are advancing, it is no unusual thing for the weather to set in dry; when this happens, the ranunculuses must have’ abundance of water given them, and if every other application be diluted liquid manure, it will give them additional vigour. A slight shade is necessary to preserve the flowers, and every available means should be resorted to at this time to keep the plants in vigour, as they are not only supporting the flowers, but the new roots are just arriving at perfection, and therefore should have every encouragement. A top-dressing of half-rotten leaves, or partially-decomposed manure will be beneficial, and the paths may be filled up with old tan; in short, every means likely to keep the earth moist should have attention. Very soon after the blooming season, the leaves will begin to decay, a sign that the roots are fit to be taken up; a great deal depends on this being done at exactly the right time, for if taken up before they are ripe, a loss of vigour is necessarily felt, and the same happens if they are allowed to stand even for a few days beyond the proper time. The fit state is easily known by the leaves parting from the roots with a slight pull ; when this can be done, let them be at once removed, and after cleansing them from the soil, spread them thinly in a shaded place to dry, turning them frequently, and at last give them one or two hours’ exposure to the sun to finish them completely, and make them fit for storing away for the winter. THE USES OF THE GARDEN FRAME. s==eyN treating of the uses of the garden frame, we shall 3 endeavour to show, first, the many advantages to be derived from its application to a hot-bed, being what is usually termed a hot-frame; and, secondly, its applica- —————~ tion asa hybernatory or cold- -frame. Ié is in the light of a hot-frame that this useful appliance is generally regarded by the amateur gardener; but few are aware of the many great results to be derived from a judicious management of a a ee pies: THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 55 it even in this respect. We shall therefore show how the best use can be made of it, and how something more than “a few braces of cucumbers”’ can be turned out of this comparatively “small extent of glass.” Towards the middle of February procure of stable manure a sufficient quantity to form a bed requisite for a three-light frame such as we described in the January number: enough for this purpose will be from two to three good one-horse cartloads. That which is best for the purpose is such as has been rather more thana week from the stable; and if it can be procured from a place where the horses have been highly fed, it will be found much better for the purpose, being far more retentive of heat than that which is taken from horses that are poorly fed. When the dung has been obtained, it should be conveyed to the place where the bed is to be erected; and here we would remark that is of the greatest importance that this should be in gome sheltered situation, with a good exposure to the south, and so protected on all sides, as to be secure from the influence of high winds. The first operation is to have the dung purified, or, as gardeners generally term it, “sweetened.” The object of this is to dispossess it of those rank and strong gases with which in its green state it is charged, and which would be so injurious to vegetable life. It is therefore necessary that it should be thoroughly and effectually fermented before it can be applied to the use of a hotbed. The way in which this is done is, to throw it all up together inaconical heap, and allow it to remain in this position for about a week, at the expiration of which it will steam considerably, and a rather strong heat will be generated ; care, however, must be had that the heat at this stage of the work is not so great as to burn the material, which is readily discovered by observing if the interior becomes whitened and dry. When it has lain in this state for about a week, the whole mass must be forked over, and made up into a cone similar to that in which it was originally formed ; but proper attention must be paid during this movement of the mass, to see that that part of it which formed the exterior shall on this occasion form the interior, and vice versa, and also that all lumps be well separated, and the whole thrown loosely up together; this is what is called the first turning. In this state it should remain for another week, during which period also the heat will have become more regular and steady, and the dung will have Jost a considerable portion of its noxious gases. It will be necessary to give it a second,turning similar to the first, taking care on this occasion likewise that the exterior be thrown inside, and the middle brought to the outside. During these turnings, it should be well watered to prevent burning, and also for the purpose of assisting in purifying the mass. This should be attended to every time it is turned over: and if so, it will tend very materially to prolong the duration of heat in the bed. Many persons consider two turnings sufficient; but we would advise a third or even a fourth, as the more the materials are properly fermented, the more satisfactory will the results be; and in all cases it should be turned and watered until the straw assumes a dark brown colour. February, 56 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. Before proceeding to erect the hotbed, measure off the area which s intended to be occupied; this should be thirteen feet long by seven feet wide. These dimensions are greater than are usually recommended, but as our object is to show “‘ how to make the most of it,” the reasons for exceeding the ordinary size will be explained hereafter. The ground on which the bed is to be erected should be perfectly dry, and so situated, or of such a nature, as that water cannot remain on it. If, however, the situation must necessarily be wet, the base should be elevated six or eight inches, by wheeling soil or rubbish to the part. The operation of erecting the bed is begun by driving down four stakes, one at each corner of the parallelogram, which we have indicated above; these should stand about three feet out of the ground, and will give the boundaries of the bed. Let the foundation be laid with faggots or any rough materials, and upon these lay the longest and rankest of the dung; then begin to throw up the mass of dung which has been prepared, not in large quantities at a time, but by shaking it out lightly with a fork, distributing the long and short equally over the bed, and then beating it down with the fork only; but it must on no account be trodden down. If during the building of the bed the dung should be discovered to have had too much heat in the cone, and to have assumed a whitened and mouldy appearance, it should be freely watered with tepid water, by means of a watering-pot with a rose toit. The height to which the bed is to be raised is three feet six inches in the front and four feet at the back, and as soon as it has acquired the requisite height, it should be combed all round with the fork, for the purpose of removing all loose straws, and rendering it more finished in its appearance. It is now ready to receive the frame, which should be lifted to its place, and where it should remain for four or five days, during which period the centre of the bed should be frequently forked over; but it must again be removed, to ascertain any unevenness that may have taken place from the fermenting mass having subsided, and on this occasion also, the sides of the bed should be raised from six to eight inches higher than the middle, to allow for the weight of the frame bearing it down. In about a week the surface of the bed should be covered, about six inches deep, with tan in a rather dry state, when such can be obtained, as this will be found of advantage in keeping down and regulating the rank heat which is likely to rise; if, however, the tan cannot readily be obtained, it is not indispensably requisite. The whole surface of the bed must now be covered, three inches deep, with fine soil, composed of one-half sandy loam and the other half leaf-mould; or, if that cannot be procured, sandy peat will answer as well. Under each light there should be a mound or hillock, from eight to ten inches high, and about a foot wide, on which to “ridge out” the cucumber or melon plants. The hotbed is now ready for any purpose to which the operator may think proper to apply it. Having therefore given ample instructions as to the most improved methods of raising a hotbed, we shall next consider how it can be best employed, and how the greatest amount of benefit may be derived from it. The most general of all purposes to which it is CN a ee THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 57 applied by the amateur horticulturist, is the foreing of the cucumber, and as that is in all probability the subject which he holds of the first importance, we shall in our next article communicate the necessary instructions by which any one may attain to this degree of horticultural perfection. (Lo be continued.) STRAWBERRY FORCING IN COMMON FRAMES. ==9130U'T the first of March, collect a quantity of fermenting B| leaves and dung, and with these form a bed of about two feet in thickness, upon which a garden frame is to be placed. If the frame is deep enough, it is as well to ‘ put this heating material into it; but if otherwise, place the frame on the prepared bed. In either case it is desirable to choose a warm situation for the bed, and to have the frame set at a sharp angle or pitch facing the south. Into this bed, when properly sweetened, the pots are to be plunged to the rim, keeping them about nine inches from the glass. The fermenting material must not exceed a miJk-warm heat. The chink to admit a little air by night, and still more by day, must not be forgotten. Dy about the middle of April the plants will be in bloom, and during that period, should the weather be mild, the lights should be tilted alternately at front and back to cause a circulation. On fine days they will even be better drawn quite off. After the fruit is set, increase the heat by admit- ting a less volume of fresh air; and when the ripening process is going on, treat them with more air, as when in bloom. The general treatment may be summed up thus :—The plants are kept in an airy situation when in blossom, and ‘in a warm and moist situation, even to 100 degrees, when the fruit is swelling and colouring; they are again subjected or removed to a cooler, yet mild atmosphere, and, if possible, to where a soft warm air will play among the foliage when ripe and ripening. The soil most suitable consists of three-fourths of turfy loam of a soft unctuous texture, not gritty, but capable of adhesion, yet not marly; one-fourth of decayed night-soil, at least three years old, and reduced to mould; these are mixed with a little sand and leaf-mould, sufficient to keep the whole open, for the free passage of air and water. Another excellent compost consists of heavy loam from old melon- beds, taking care, however, not to use the soil which formed the surface of the bed, as very frequently this contains too many of the progeny of the red-spider. To this loam add one-fourth of rotted cow-dung or any decomposed manure, and sufficient sand to keep the soil from getting sodden. As a general rule, plants should not be shifted until the roots are well spread over the sides of the pots without getting matted. The plants should be shifted at once from the small three or four-inch pots in which they are laid into six-inch or fruiting pots. A nice point in’ shifting is to see that the soil put round the plant being potted is of the same convistency or firmness as the ball of the plant itself, so February. 58 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. Ld that when the newly: potted plant is watered, the water will diffuse itself equally through every part. Avoid deep potting. The neck of the plant should be kept about level with the rim of the pot. See that the pots are thoroughly clean before using, and take care that each pot is well drained, the strawberry being very im- patient of wet, and liable to get out of health if imperfectly drained. The following is a good method :—Lay first over the hole of the pot one crock, or potsherd, or shell large enough to cover it, and with the hollow side down; around this place others of smaller dimensions in the same position, but with one edge resting upon the first crock, thus securing a considerable openness in the drainage, and making it difficult for it to get choked up. Next place a handful of still smaller crocks, and over the whole a layer of turf, torn to pieces by the hand, not cut by a spade, and also a dusting of soot. The turf is to prevent the soil mixing with the drainage, and it also affords food for the plants. The soot is used to check the ingress of worms, and it also acts as a manure, though not lasting. Pot firmly, particularly at the last shift. It is partly an object to get as much nourishment in as small a compass as possible, but firm potting can be overdone. In dry warm weather the plants should be syringed every night and morning, excepting when in bloom and when the fruit is ripening. In the early period the plants will require occasional watering, while in the sunny and long days a good soaking of water is required every day. It is a rule, never to let a leaf flag, nor have the soil saturated. Clear liquid manure should be given twice a week, from the time the fruit is set till it begins to change colour. This manure is usually made from soot and sheep-dung; but that from the horse, cow, or pigeon, or guano, either mixed or separate, will do as well. In all cases the liquid manure must be used so weak as just to colour the water. Rain or soft water should always be used, and should be of the same temperature as the frame. ASPARAGUS. <9] RIGINALLY an indigenous weed of our sea-shores, this | by cultivation has become one of the most delicate and most esteemed vegetables we possess ; and notwithstand- ing the list of names used by some growers, there is but ; one kind, and the only variations in it are merely those arising from situation. The plants are obtained from seed, which should be gathered when the haulm is cut down in autumn, and preserved till the following March, when it should be sown in drills on apiece of light sandy soil, at about a foot and a half from each other. At the end of the following summer the plants may be thinned out of the rows till they stand six inches apart, and thus may remain till they are wanted for the beds. Three-year-old plants are perhaps the best for THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 59 final planting, though some recommend them to be but two years. The former are the strongest, and therefore will bear cutting soonest. It is not advisable to have them older, or they may refuse the removal. The best time to make the beds is September, and the planting done in October; but presuming circumstances have prevented autumn planting, the operation must be performed in February or March. The beds should be made on a piece of dry rich and light earth, with a heavy coat of dung trenched in, and the ground marked off into beds of the required size. Narrow beds are preferable, because the sun penetrates them more effectually, and the buds are con- sequently earlier. We would never plant more than three rows in each bed, and, therefore, they need not be more than three feet wide, which will leave the plants nine inches from each other, and the same distance from the outsides. Unless the ground is naturally wet and springy, itis not necessary to elevate the beds at the planting, but is preferable to make them on the level, merely throwing about three inches of the soil from the alleys over the plants when they are in their places. The alleys should be a foot and a half wide, and at the corners of the beds stout stakes may be driven in, that at the future dressings it may be easy to tell where the outsides should be. The beds will only require to be kept free from weeds until the following autumn, when a good dressing of manure should be given them, first forking up the surface of the bed, then laying on the dung, and covering it with soil from the alleys; and this should be repeated annually, and may be called the winter dressing. In spring the beds should be carefully forked over, so as to loosen all the soil without injuring the crowns of the plants, and the soil raked down into the alleys till the plants are about an inch below the surface: this requires to be done just before the plants begin to grow—if done sooner they may be injured by frost, and if left till a later period some will get broken by the rake. Asparagus should not be cut till the third season after planting, nor should the cutting be continued too long, or, as a matter of course, the roots are greatly weakened, and the produce of the following year will be inferior. At the autumn dressing, after the plants have attained a size and strength sufficient to become useful, salt may be used with the manure to great advantage, laying a moderately thin coat of it along with the dung over the whole of the bed, and covering in the usual way. In establishments of any pretensions Asparagus forms a considerable item among the forced productions. Tor this purpose it is usual to take old roots from the beds in the autumn, and at intervals, proportionate to the required supply, hotbeds of moderate strength are made, and when the heat becomes steady at 55°, the bed is covered with light earth and the roots placed thereon ; an erroneous practice then follows of earthing up the shoots as they grow, in order, it is said, to make them look white and tender. It is altogether a mistake to value Asparagus for its blanched stems, and whether grown in the ordinary bed out-of-doors, or at an earlier season as a forced vegetable, as much length and substance should be got above ground as possible, for it is only the green portion that can be eaten, the blanched part being totally useless. We would advise, instead February. 60 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. of earthing up the stems, to throw off the lights, as much as the weather will permit, to induce a sturdy thickened growth, and thus by the admission of plenty of air prevent the blanching process. When Asparagus is required in any quantity at an early season, a much better method of forcing will be found in the following course. The ordinary beds in the garden should be reduced in width to about two feet and a half, or as narrow as the roots of the plants will allow, and the sides of the beds be cased up with four-inch pigeon- holed brickwork ; on the top of the beds a light framework of wood is fixed in the manner of a ridge roof, to the middle of which canvas frames are hung, so as to protect the young shoots from cold and wet ; glazed frames would be preferable and glass best of all. The alleys, which are now two feet wide, are filled with hot dung, the warmth from which, striking through the beds, starts the plants into an active growth; and in consequence of their being thoroughly established, having an abundance of healthy roots uninjured by removal, they break with a vigour unknown to such as are taken up to force in frames. The advantages of this method are self-evident, and a comparison between it and the common mode will make them so strongly apparent as to need no arguing. By the usual course the plants are mutilated in their roots, and then suddenly placed in a comparatively strong heat ; and when they have borne this torturing, and yielded the weakly produce consequent on such unnatural treat- ment, are cast away as refuse. While, on the other hand, Asparagus forced in the bed has all its roots in exactly the condition to make the greatest return, and afterwards has only to be gradually inured to the open air at the approach of summer, when its stems will grow up and recruit the plants to the full as much as though it had not been subject to more than the ordinary cutting, and prepare them for a similar course in the next season, thus affording a superior produce without any waste and at an earlier and long continued period. Of course it is necessary through the winter to protect the beds with mats or litter in severe weather, and to turn and renew the heating material as occasion requires, so that a degree of heat may be imparted to the bed equal to about 56° Fahrenheit, and the summer management of such beds will be precisely that of any common one ; the heat of the dung in the alleys will be preserved and economized if wooden shutters are made to fit closely over it, which a wooden plate, running the length of the bed on the top of the brickwork, will afford a ready means of fixing, and will also keep the path clean and neat, and facilitate the cutting, and general management of the beds. Six weeks is generally consumed in starting the beds, reckoning from the time when the dung is first wheeled into the alleys till the beds are fit to cut, supposing the forcing to commence in November, and they will continue to furnish a supply for nearly three months. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 6l BEETROOT. a HIS delicious vegetable is very little known excepting as a garnish, and to give a colour to pickled cabbage, and then only in a raw state. It ought to be admitted to every table, for a more wholesome, nutritious, and deli- ; cate esculent is not to be found. It is thas managed :— Let it be washed and brushed, not scraped as a carrot is prepared. The head, that is the shert stalks which have borne the leaves, also the small end and side rootlets, are all to be left on during the time of boiling, care being taken not to wound the skin till it is done, because the fine, rich colour will escape, and leave the root pale and unsightly. The time they take to boil will depend on the size ; from three quarters of an hour to an hour and a half. When it is ready, let it be peeled and trimmed, and sent to table. All that may remain after dinner should be cut into slices abouta quarter of an inch in thickness, these are to be laid neatly in vege- table dishes, and vinegar is to be poured over the whole. By the next day at dinner-time, or even the same night, it will be ready ; and if eaten either at supper alone, with pepper, salt, oil, and vinegar, or as an adjunct to cold or even hot meat, it will be found an admirable addition to both meals. It becomes a very mild kind of pickle, and is exceedingly salutary if eaten with salted meat. In this state it will keep for a fortnight. This garden beetroot is not the same from which sugar is made : that is the white beet; it grows, and much resembles in appearance mangel wurzel. 2a t 3 THE GARDEN GUIDE FOR FEBRUARY. FLOWER GARDEN. LL alterations and improvements should be attended to at once, and this is the best season for making box and other edgings. Fork up and manure the beds. Plant ranunculuses and anemones. Herba- sj] ceous plants may be divided and transplanted. ‘Top-dress auriculas, pansies, carnations, and roses to strengthen the bloom. About the middle of the month, if the weather is open, you may commence pruning some of the hardy kinds of roses—the Moss, the Provence, China, and others that flower in June and July. The Perpetuals are better left till March and April. Roses on poles or against buildings may be undone and thinned out, and where the poles are decaying new ones should be supplied. Look to the standards—clean the stems, and where any stout branches have been cut away, cover the tops with a little grafting-wax, that insects may not deposit their eggs in the pith. All plants under glass should have as much air as the weather will permit. Sow hardy annuals in the borders, and a few in frames to be transplanted for early bloom. Auriculas commence their spring growth this month, and should be moved into a southern aspect ; and two or three mats should be thrown over the frames at night if frost is expected. ‘This is the best time to remove offsets, as they root more freely than later in the season. ‘The safest plan for their removal is to break them off the old plant with care, and avoid using the knife as much as possible. Calceolarias should now be shifted, and heating materials prepared for starting dahlias. Should numbers be a consideration, commence at ouce. Tulips will now require more care; continue protection nightly and against storms of February. 62 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. hail, After the late amount of wet, it will benefit pinks to move the soil between them. Give carnations and picoteesas much air as possible, and if not already cleaned of decaying foliage, let it be at once attended to. KITCHEN GARDEN. The weather has been so unfavourable for ground work, that we fear much remains to be done in carrying out manure dressing, etc. If the weather should set in frosty, manure may be wheeled to the most convenient spot for dressing those parts which will soon become vacant. Fork the ground between the crops of cabbage, and all other crops that are beginning to move ; and as soon as the state of the ground will permit, dig, trench, and prepare for the various crops to come. Prepare pea-sticks, also sticks that will be required for all other purposes. New beds of asparagus may be made, and seed sown ior new stock. Force rhubarb, seakale, and asparagus. Should the weather be fine and dry, a little of nearly every kitchen crop may be sown during the month ; some will be lost, but others will succeed and give early gatherings. Peas, broad-beans, parsnips, beet, onions, horn carrot, spinach, and cabbage may be sown; and if some slight protection can be given, cauliflower, radish, small salad, and lettuce. Plant garlic, shallots, chives, onions for seed, and bulbs of the tree-onion. Plant early kinds of potato under a south wall; they will, if they succeed, come into use in May. Make new plantations of horseradish ; let the sets be about four inches long; cut off the green crown, and plant so that the top of the set may be twelve inches below the surface. Sow celery in pots or boxes in a slight hot-bed for a forward crop. Plant out cabbages for a second crop, and sow seed for July cutting. In sowing peas, let the rows be eighteen or twenty inches apart ; they will succeed better than if sown closer. The spaces between them may be planted with other vegetables, viz., rows of spinach, rows of lettuces, etc., so that no room is lost by allowing the peas full space. Continue to cover seakale as it is required. If covered with dung eighteen inches thick, you may calculate on a crop for use in five or six weeks. FRUIT GARDEN. Where strawberry beds were not made in the autumn, they may be made early this month ; they should be planted at once in rich firm ground. Bush fruits may still be planted and pruned, and all pruning of fruit-trees generally should be attended to; but do not attempt pruning in frosty weather. Grafting should be performed as the weather permits ; but if scions are obtained before they can be used, thrust them into the ground in bunches with a tally to each, and they will keep a month if necessary ; and usually take better if so kept a week or ten days before being put on the stocks. If the weather is favourable, apricots may be pruned and nailed towards the middle of the month, and coverings for the protection of the blossom should be provided in time, whether it be netting or the more preferable canvas curtains. Figs that have been protected should be un- covered towards the end of the month,?and pruned if necessary, Examine cherries and plums, and clear out all cankered wounds ; and if of any depth, fill the holes with cow-dung and clay well mixed together. Raspberries, currants, and gooseberries should now be cut and pruned, and vacancies filled up. Re- member in planting to plant firmly, and put stakes to all things likely to be shaken by the March winds. All trees affected last year with American blight should now be gone over with a brush dipped in strong brine. GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. The plants will now be commencing their spring growth, and an abundant supply of air must be given provided the weather is favourable ; but cold draughts and frosts must be guarded against, as during this month most greenhouse plants are more susceptible of cold than at any other time of the year. All plants requiring it should have a shift, and water given regularly to such as are making free growth, taking care that it is of the same temperature as the house. Camellias coming into flower will be much benefited by being syringed twice or thrice a week. Those done blooming should be placed in temperature of 65°, with a moist atmosphere, and partly shaded to promote the growth of new wood. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 63 Commence the general work of spring propagation by striking cuttings of petu- nias, geraniums, verbenas, etc., for bedding out. Strong cuttings of geraniums that were struck round the sides of pots in autumn, may be got into small pots, and shifted on as fast as their new roots touch the sides. Lose no time in forwarding everything for the different operations to come. Provide an abundant supply of the various soils required, that all may be ready, and in a fit condition for immediate use when wanted. Look closely after insects, especially green-fly and red-spider, and remove plants affected to some convenient place, and fumi- gate with sulphur and tobacco, as necessary. Average temperature this month, 45° at night, 50° to 60° by day. STOVE. The temperature this month should range from 50° to 60° by fire-heat, subject to a rise from the power of the sun. Give air with care daily, but avoid cold draughts near growing plants. Attend to the atmosphere cf the house; keep it healthy and somewhat humid, using water sparingly till you find the plants are growing freely, when a more liberal supply will be necessary. Prune and repot such plants as may require it. Remove a portion of the old soil from Alleman- dras, Clerodendrons, Stephanotis, Dipladenias, and others of similar habit, and give a dressing of fresh soil, composed of good turfy loam and peat, adding a little leaf-mould, broken charcoal, and silver-sand. Gesneras, Achimenes, and Gloxinias may be started into growth, using the same sort of compost as above, with the addition of a little well-decomposed horse manure. PITS AND FRAMES, Look well after mildew, and dress with sulphur as soon as it appears. Young plants must be carefully protected from frost, but at the same time should be kept free from excess of damp. If the weather is not frosty, the lights may be wholly withdrawn for some hours in the daytime. Clean and top-dress the plants, and shift into t:e greenhouse such as want a start. Remove all dead leaves, and keep the shelves or plunging material moderately dry. Water with caution, but take care that no plant perishes for the want of it. Geraniums will require very little. Tn fact, all tender plants that have been wintered in cold frames must have very little water at present; they may be growing in consequence of the mildness of the weather, yet, as frost may visit us, much moisture will be injurious, and losses may occur. Ferns and calceolarias may have water freely if well drained. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Exotic Frerns.—Alpha.—Repot these when just about to commence their new seasonal growth. The soil must depend upon the species, but as arnle turfy peat two parts, and sandy loam one part, will grow stove ferns well. Some like rotted wood, and they are all partial to leaf-mould. Wireworm anv American Buicut.—A correspondent writes :—Some time ago these disgusting little animals infested my seakale to such an extent that all my finest roots were eaten through and snapped off. What was to be done? No one could tell me. Well, it struck me it was worth while to try 2 remedy which once saved my celery from being disturbed by a grub which had fixed on its roots, and that was a good steeping of soapsuds; and an admirable remedy it was, acting two ways—killing the grub and benefiting as a manure. I therefore tried it on the seakale, and found it most effectual, completely clearing the plant of the wireworm, and making it grow and flourish. I have now followed out this plan for years, and have a barrel fixed on wheels, into which the laundry-maids pour the suds, and the gardener takes them into the garden, and applies them where wanted. The slugs too attack a variety of things, but the suds are effectual in destroying all these enemies, and, as I have already observed, is useful as a manure. You may apply suds also with a paint-brush to your apple trees when infested with American blight, though for this purpose a lather of soft-soap is better. Fruit Trees on Watts.—J. P.—Everything in the way of soil and situation may be for the best, but this is of no avail if the trees are infested with insects. No February. “ - * 64 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. trees suffer more from their attacks than the peach and nectarine against old walls to dress the trees with any composition is of very little service, while there are myriads of insects safely sheltered in the nail-holes and crevices of the wall. Loosen the trees from the wall, and let the wall be washed with a mixture of cement, fresh lime, soot, and sulphur, mixed with soapsuds to the consistence of thick paint, and laid on with a brush so as to fill the nail-holes and crevices, and consequently destroy all insects that may be harboured there. The proportions of the mixture may be two parts Portland cement, one part fresh burnt lime, two parts soot, and one-half part sulphur, with sufficient soapsuds to make it of the proper consistency. Tank 1N Propagatine Hovuse.—H. 7.—You are quite right in conjecturing that to carry a pipe through the tank might result in leakage. It can be done, of course, but there is no need to incur the risk. Let the pipe dip and rise again; the interruption to the circulation will be too trifling to take notice of, especially if the Pipe rises a little after the dip, which perhaps you can manage. The ventilation of the propagating house must be in part determined by the position of the Pipes. If these are near the ground, have ventilators close to them, for the air to be quickly warmed as it enters, but top ventilation will do with careful management. In any case a propagating house requires but little air, but it must have a little, and in the gentlest way possible. W. B., Woolwich.—We thank you for your kind offer, but are unable to accept it. Lycoropiums AND Frerys.—C. ¥. H.—If you cannot obtain peat, use as a substitute, light sandy loam, with one-fourth well-decomposed leaf-mould, some sand, and a small portion of chopped moss. Put plenty of drainage in the pots, and pot lightly. Oxon.—We cannot answer your query. If properly answered it would amount to an advertisement. Primuta.—A. B.—From your description we cannot judge whether the plant was a primula or not, but large specimens of primula may be produced by nipping out the flower-buds as soon as they are sufficiently advanced. Do not attempt to keep the plants a second season, as they invariably rot off just above the soil, and the flowers are always smal] in size and poor in colour, compared with young plants. Perhaps your plant resembled the primulas referred to on page 96 of last year’s volume. Pruyine Fruir Trezs.—R. 7’. K.—As stated in the lecture, we are not prepared to lay down a rule that a fruit tree should never be pruned in any way whatever, but we do say that pruning is a delicate business, and is generally done too much. See page 86 of last year’s volume. The subject is too extensive for us to devote space to it here, but it will be treated on in Mr. Hibberd’s new book, Tur Amarrvur’s Kitcuen Gaxpzn, which will appear shortly. Thanks for your references concerning “ Lilies of the Field.” Frozen Puants.—Woodville,—The best method to recover plants touched with frost, is to thaw them as slowly as possible in the dark. Light and moisture at such a time are ruin to plants of delicate constitution, and if they recover at all it is only by thawing them gradually in some place only one or two degrees warmer than freezing point. Lime ss A Manvrn.—Junior.—Lime will be a capital dressing on your heavy loam, which has been untilled for years, especially to prepare it for potatoes. Use one bushel to every three perches, a Purry.—G. H. Layton—Greenhouse putty should be made of whiting and linseed oil, well worked and left in a lump to “sweat” for eight or nine days before using it. No other ingredient is required. Whitelead will cause it to harden quickly, but should never be used for that very reason, for if an accident happens, the putty made as above may be cut with a knife for many years after- wards, and a square put in without difficulty. Sashes should be primed and painted before being glazed, and after glazing should not be painted for two or three months. GLoxin1As.— Polly.— Gloxinias should be started at once ; the heat should be gradual at first. They ought to do well in the moist heat of a cucumber frame. Propagatine Case.—A,. F, W.—A description of a propagating case shal] appear in the March number. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 65 CRATZGUS PRUNIFOLIA VARIEGATA. =9 (©) the hawthorn the gardener is indebted for some of the 7 © neatest ornaments, its judicious employment effecting a finish not otherwise obtainable; its neat foliage, and profuse and early habit of flowering, render it ex- a tremely pleasing in spring, and its bright and various- coloured berries render it equally interesting in autumn and winter. The thorn in age is one of the most grotesque trees we have; the rigid contortions of its stem and branches are bold and striking, and as single specimens or in scattered groups upon an extensive lawn or park, nothing is more effective. C. oxycantha, the common haw- thorn, is an invaluable hedge plant, and as such is extensively used ; its varieties, the double red and white flowering thorns, are very beautiful, and as short standards in the shrubbery are very desirable, as also is the yellow-berried variety, which in autumn is particularly conspicuous. The subject of ourillustration, C. prunifolia variegata, is perfectly hardy, and its beautiful foliage makes it a great addition to our ornamental foliage plants. Any ordinary soil will suit it, a good loam being preferable for it to a soil highly manured, as the beautiful variegation of the foliage is likely to be affected by too rich a soil. Propagation may be effected by means of seed and grafting. All but the double-flowering kinds of thorn produce seed in abun- dance, which should be collected in autumn, and buried in damp sand till the following February, when it may be sown in beds of light earth. Some of the seeds will germinate the same season, and some not until the year following. The young plants should be transplanted when two years old, and at four years are best for final planting. It may also be propagated by grafting on the common hawthorn, and March is the best month for the operation. WINDOW GARDENING. BY JOHN BR. MOLLISON. (Continued from page 42.) SOIL AND DRAINAGE. aeemeeery TAT we must now consider is the suitable kinds of soil (| required, and the proper drainave for a pot before the i plant is put init. A very accommodating mixture suit- : 4§| able for nearly all kinds of plants in pots is composed of a su! one part of turfy loam, one part of leaf mould, and barely one part of silver-sand, with one half part of dried cow-dung, rubbed down fine, added. The cow-dung gives a robust healthy consti- tution to soft-wooded plants, such as geraniums, fuchsias, cinerarias, cealceolarias, and many others. The manure should be left out, how- March. . 66 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. ever, in potting ferns, mosses, the cactus tribe, and all peat-loving plants in general, which should have one part of nice fibry peat added instead. For quick-growing soft-wooded plants a pinch or two of ground bones may be added with advantage. Any nursery- man will supply you with as much mixed soil for a few pence as would fil! a dozen pots, or if you have a gardener friend he will see you put right. When ordering soil fur potting from a nurseryman, state the kind of plants you intend potting, and he will give you soil aceordingly. When potting peat-loving plants, such as heaths, ro turfy loam is required, but peat earth, leaf-mould, and a liberal supply of silver-sand. The cactus tribe are always benefited by a quantity of small-broken brick. being added. You should never use common garden soil in potting plants, for it is always too finely pulverized, and greatly deficient in the natural food required by a healthy pot-plant. By being potted in such soil, the ball of the plant by frequent watering becomes a close sodden mass, through which the roots are very unwilling to penetrate ; when this takes place the roots begin to decay, and the plant falls into a state of premature decline. The kind of soil you require is an open fibry compost through which the air can penetrate, and the water pass freely away, enabling the roots to extract the essential gases so necessary to the life of the plant. Turfy loam or peat earth, according to the class of plants you intend to pot, should therefore be the principal part of your compost. Turfy loam is the turf cut from gocd old pasture to the depth of four or five inches, selected as fibry as you can get it, and laid up for six months or so in a heap torot. Peat earth is the turf cut from a selected part of heathy common, having plenty of fibry matter, with a sprinkling of sharp silver-sand running through it, and laid up also to rot before using. When you prepare your turf for potting, chop it up small with a chopper or spade, but never sift it, for the turfy matter gradually decomposing in the pot affords the most natural food required for the health and well-being of your plants. Leaf-mould is formed from the leaves of autumn gathered together, and stored away in a heap to rot. They require to be turned over in the heap several times during the year to hasten their. decay. They are fit for use after having lain one year or more. Before using leaf-mould pass it through a sieve to remove ali stones, sticks, and other rubbish gathered with the leaves. Silver-sand is the best sand to use, but when not obtainable, river or pit sand, if pretty sharp, will do very well instead. You must never use sea-sand because of the salt it contains, which would very likely kill your plants. In making up your compost, carefully keep out all worms and pieces of wood. Pieces of wood and beach mast often cause a white fungus to germinate among the roots, throwing the plant into an unhealthy State. The soil being now ready, we will turn our attention to one of the most important things to be considered in potting plants—that is, free drainage; this is absolutely necessary for their health and well-being. If the drainage is bad, and the crock-hole gets choked up, the surplus water does not run off, but lodges in the ball, which THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 67 soon gets soured and sodden, rotting the roots and throwing the poor plant into an unhealthy state, and then it leads a miserable life till its owner gets tired of it and throws it away, or allows it to die a wretched death of itself. Many a plant is destroyed through neglecting this apparently simple thing, which would have been a credit to its owner had it been properly drained. ‘lo prevent you falling into this easy mistake, I will try .o tell you how to give your plants. proper drainage. For ordinary greenhouse plants, in six or seven-inch pots, place one large crock—that is, broken, pot—the concave side undermost over the crock-hole in the bottom; put neatly over that again three or four smaller pieces; then a quantity of small broken crock, Ly Be 7 07,104 7, ee LG i a, b, c are three layers of crocks or potsherds, the largest at the bottom, the smallest at the top. _ covering all with a little moss or the roughest of your compost, to _ prevent the soil from being washed down into the drainage. For _ smaller, three or four-inch pots, one crock and a little moss 18 PBufficient. Larger pots will require more drainage, while for ferns and cacti nearly one-third of the pot should be drainage. An oyster- sy is a capital thing for the main-drainage crock. This is what “may be called proper drainage. ‘Too little is bad, while too much is needless, as it only takes up room in a pot which should be —ozeupied with food for the roots. Drainage will get choked up sometimes. One great cause of this is earth-worms, which must be hunted for as soon as you per- eeive traces of them. You will soon know if a worm is present in the soil by its casts upon the surface. If you have a suspicion that there is a worm present, turn out the ball of the plant and search for it. The proper way to do this is to take the neck of the plant between the fore and widdle fingers of the left hand, placing the bottom of the pot in the right, then turn it over and give the rim of the pot a rap or two on the table, and the ball will Joosen freely. Mareb. 68 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. Take the pot gently off with the right hand, taking care not to disturb the drainage, and you will see at once by the appearance of the ball if a worm is there, as if so the runs or channels will be traceable all round, and most likely you will find the rascal lying lengthways in one of them. It is sometimes difficult to get the worm out, for it disappears from view if not taken firm hold of quickly. In replacing the pot on the ball do not disturb the drainage. A smart bump or two on the table will settle the plant into its old position. To water with soap-suds is another way of catching them, and also water that a few pieces of lime have been slaked in. This makes them rise to the surface, and then they are easily caught. Worms are a great nuisance in a flower-pot, for they not only feed on the strength of the soil, but they also break numbers of small fibrous roots, and make the ball loose and broken; all which evils very soon tell on the health of the poor plant. In order to prevent this, worms should be carefully looked for before the soil is used; but even after that they may appear, for very small ones and eggs will escape notice. In giving drainage to window-boxes you must proceed much in the same way as for pots, covering each hole with a large crock, and an inch or more of broken tile or crocks over it, the whole being covered with a little sphagnum moss to keep the drainage clean. There are many different kinds of manures and fertilizers used for pot plants. The most easily come at sometimes are a few sheep droppings or dry cow-dung ; but the best for mixing with the soil is bone-meal, or bones ground down, mixed with a very small quantity of lime. For top-dressing or mixing in the water a thimbleful of guano is very good. But I think you will find “ Standen’s Gardener and Amateur’s Friend” preferable to any other fertilizer. Tt is sold by all seedsmen and nurserymen in canisters, with full directions how to apply it. Liquid ammonia is an excellent fertilizer, ten drops to a quart of water being sufficient. It is very easily applied and no dirt attending it. A very safe liquid manure is made with sheep-droppings dissolved in water, not too strong, just sufficient to give the water a dark brown appearance. Tobacco-water is also a good manure, and so is very weak glue-water. Manures applied to the soil should be well incorporated with the mass by frequent turning. Liquid manure should be applied as often as twice a week, or once a week at any rate. We will now proceed to consider the very important operations of potting and watering. Watering, especially, is the very life and mainstay of a plant. ‘lo know when and how to water is one, if not the greatest, secret of good plant cultivation. I hope to make you understand this before I have done. One important consideration in potting is to have your soil in a proper state, neither too wet nor yet too dry—just a medium state between. If too wet, the soil bakes hard together and the roots have no free action; if nearly dust dry, you cannot have the ball of the proper firmness all through, and watering at first is very difficult. You should have the pots clean, inside and out, before you begin THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 69 to pot. If the pot has been in use before, the remains of its former occupant may not suit the taste of the new one. It is a general saying with gardeners, “ One plant’s food is another plant’s poison.” The roots of a plant always seek the outside of the ball, forming a dense network all round the inside of the pot; any deleterious matter would thus be sure to tell on the health of the plant, which will not be the case if the pot is washed before using. After giving the pot what you consider proper drainage, put in a little soil, then take the plant by the neck with your hand, let the roots hang loosely in the pot, keep the neck of the plant fair in the centre, and with the other band heap up the soil loosely in the pot. Bump it down smartly several times, pressing home the soil with the thumbs at the same time. This insures the ball of the plant being of the same firmness throughout. In shifting an established plant into a larger pot, proceed in the same way, keeping the plant in the centre and the surface of the ball a little below the level of the pot, taking care that all round the sides is properly filled in, no vacancies being left; a moderate ramming down with a stick will insure this being done. Always leave room for watering; and with a settling bump or two to the pot, the potting is completed. After potting, water with a fine rose, if you have one, if not, pour the water on gently, but do not by any means give too much at first. Just give enough to settle the soil, and let it rest for some hours before you give any more. Giving too much, or, as I may say, soaking the ball at first, does the plant harm, as it makes the ball like a puddle. A little at first settles the soil, and when you water again, the water percolates freely through the ball and drains away at once. In shifting a plant into a larger sized pot, the proper rule is to select a pot in which the one you are to shift from can stand easily. A rooted cutting should only have a three or four-inch pot at first, and be shifted into a larger when the pot is full of roots. I would not recommend you to grow plants in any larger size than an eight-inch pot. Six or seven inch is the most convenient size for window plants. If plants such as fuchsias or geraniums have outgrown the eight-inch size, it is best to cut them back and reduce the ball so as to allow room for fresh soil in the same pot. Cape geraniums—those with the large partly-coloured flowers—should always be cut back after flowering to the second eye on each branch, and potted back into a smaller pot, from which they can be shifted into the larger size again in the early spring after they have made some growth. ; Window plants should always stand in flats to keep the window dry. The water which settles down into the flats after watering should always be thrown out, as it is injurious to the plants to let it remain, tending to rot the roots by keeping the ball too moist and preventing the action of drainage. The proper time and way to water plants is very little understood by some people. Through excess of kindness they make a point of watering their plants at stated times without considering whether it is required or not, and eften the poor plants are killed through this excess of attention March. TO THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. Let me tell you that too frequent watering is most injurious. To avoid this evil it is necessary to have a rule to guide you. Well, then, never water plants unless they really require it; you will soon learn to know by experience when they do want watering. A good rule to know the proper time by is when the surface of the ball looks dryish. But an unfailing guide is to rap the side of the pot with your knuckles : if it gives out a ringing sound, the plant is dry, and you should water immediately ; but if the soundis dull and solid, then no watering is required. To learn the distinction between the two sounds, fill two pots with soil, one dry and the other damp ; water the damp one, and you will learn at once, by rapping them, the difference in the sound which they give out. The roots of plants have a very limited range in flower-pots, so particular attention should be paid that they do not get too dry; and when you do water, give sufficient to soak the ball thcroughly, and then withhold it till required again. A little water on the surface is almost useless. In winter plants need watering very seldom, as they naturally sink into a state of rest during that season. In the summer season they will require water very often—every day, in fact, if the weather is warm. The best time to water in the summer is the evening, for during the night the plants get refreshed and enjoy the benefit of the watering before the sun rises on them . | again. As watering is the very life of the plant you should now and then put a little guano into the water, but be very careful not to give too much, as it may burn the roots; a thimbleful to a quart of water is quite sufficient, and twice a week often enough during the season. A very safe and cool liquid manure may be made by sheep- droppings dissolved in water ; just enough to give it a dark appearance —not muddy. This isa safe and capital liquid manure for plants. Liquid manure should not be given oftener than twice a week. The extremities of the fibrous roots act as so many mouths, extracting all the food contained in the water; the water at the same time converting the nourishing matters contained in the soil into a fit state for absorption by the many little mouths into the body of the plant, passing into and creating beautiful foliage and blossom in endless variety to delight our eyes. And so on goes Nature—the mother of change—in her ceaseless round of absorption and creation, filling the contemplative mind with wonder and awe at the mighty power present in its hidden workings. In filling window-boxes with soil after the drzinage is in, the box should be heaped up at once, and the whole shaken down and pressed together, so that the soil may be of the same firmness through- out, care being taken to press it well into the corners. Hvery morning and evening your plants should be sprinkled overhead to keep dust off them and induce a robust, healthy vigour in their growth. Rain water is the best for watering all kinds of plants. It is Nature’s own providing, and contains far more nourishment than hard water. Always use rain water if you can get it; if not, puta little bit of sodainto the hard water, and let it stand in the sun some time to soften. You should never water your plants with water THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 71 below the temperature of your room. To give plants colder water than the air they live in chills their roots and checks their action, which is a thing you must guard against. Therefore if the water is coldish when you wish to use it, add a little boiling water to take the chill off; sixty-five or seventy degrees is the proper temperature for watering with. The surface of the ball, every now and then, should be pricked over with a pointed stick to allow the water to percolate freely through the whole ball, for when the surface is hard the water mostly rans down between the pot and the ball, and the ‘heart of the ball is often left dry when you think the plant has been properly watered. The plant by that state of matters leads a life of semi-starvation ; besides, when the surface of the ball is caked, the air does not get free passage to the roots, telling greatly against their healthy action. Now, dear readers, here we have arrived at an advanced stage of our window gardening. We now have our plants potted, watered, and placed in their positions, where we expect to enjoy all the beauty and grace of the floral display we have been labouring for; hour by hour and day by day they grow and bloom, yielding an amount of pleasure, interest, and affection which we never imagined window flowers to have the power of arousing, till we took their cultivation under our care. Now we feel it to be really a labour of love when we spend a few spare minutes attending to their wants. (Lo be continued.) DIELYTRA SPECTABILIS. => EW cf our readers who are acquainted with this plant 4fy| will, we imagine, be disposed to differ from us, if we venture to pronounce it not only the handsomest of its order—the Fumeworts—but even of all spring-flowering herbaceous plants. One species, D. formosa, is an old inhabitant of our gardens; but although a pretty, graceful plant, it is altogether eclipsed by the elegant D. spectabilis. Adapted equally for cultivation in the open border, for the window, or for forcing in early spring, it possesses a threefold claim upon the lover of flowers; and there can be no doubt that it will soon gain as high a place in the estimation of English gardeners, as it has long enjoyed among the Mandarins of its native provinces. In suitable soil, the plart attains the height of eighteen inches, the stems bearing both leaves and flowers; and by this circumstance, as well as by its large size, it iz distinguished from all the other species at present known, which have radical leaves only. The handsome spreading foliage is biternate, with the leaflets toothed, or cut into ovate segments. The flowers, each nearly one and a half inch long, and one inch in breadth, are borne in racemes, which are both terminal and axillary; but the terminal racemes of an established plant will frequently consist of ten or fifteen blossoms ; the axillary flowers are less numerous. The sepals, two in number, as in all the plants of the order, falling off at a very early stage of March. 72 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. their growth, will be found only on the immature buds at the extremity of the raceme. Whether seen before expansion, when the swollen flowers present a singularly heart-shaped form, or after the lips of the two outer petals have become reflexed, we know of but few plants so strikingly elegant, and withal so unusual in their appearance. Cuxtrvation.— W hen grown in the open borders, it will be advis- able to plant it in soil only moderately retentive ; for, although there can be no doubt that it is quite hardy, it will be prudent to guard against the evils resulting from too great a degree of moisture in the soil. In sandy loam it would be perfectly safe, but the plant would be less robust in its habit, and produce fewer flowers. We are by no means friendly to the indiscriminate use of sup- ports in the flower-garden ; but the stems of the Fumeworts being somewhat brittle and succulent, it will be desirable to secure the principal stalk of the plant to a slight rod, which, if not too long and obtrusive, can be employed without in any degree detracting from its graceful mode of growth. When cultivated in wet soils, much risk may be obviated by pro- tecting the roots in winter with some impervious covering: in the absence of anything more suitable, an ordinary pot may be employed for this purpose. When grown as a window plant, it produces its flowers a month earlier than when exposed to the rude changes of an English spring. In cultivating it with this view, the plant, after flowering, should be allowed to remain outdoors during the summer and autumn until the stems have died down and the fleshy roots become dormant, when, at the approach of winter, the pot may be removed to the window of a cool room, the soil being kept in a slightly moistened condition. While dormant, and during the first stages of its growth, it may be placed in a fire-warmed apartment, though we do not recommend such a course; but when the plant has made some progress, and the leaves are fully expanded, the dry atmosphere of the heated room would be prejudicial to its health, and the pores of its delicate foliage become choked with dust; if kept at rather a low temperature, its flowers will continue in perfection for a considerable period. For a strong plant, a pot of not less than six or eight inches diameter is desirable, and the soil may be a rich loam, such as would be produced by the gradual decay of turf from an old pas- ture; or, in the absence of this, any good garden soil, mixing it when deficient in vegetable matter with a little peat or leaf-mould, and when too sandy with a portion of good loam; for we have not to fear the effects of the frost, as in the open border. The directions we have given for its growth in pots, apply only to those cases in which no other accommodation is available than that afforded by a window; but where there is the convenience of a cold frame—an auxiliary we should be glad to find in every garden even of the smallest extent—the plant will, as a matter of course, be allowed to winter there, and need only be removed to the window when the flowers are partially developed. The plant may be increased by careful division of the roots in THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 73 early spring, or by cuttings taken off at a joint, and stuck in white sand under a hand-glass. From their succulent nature, some care is necessary to prevent the cuttings from damping off, and to avoid this the glass must be wiped every day, and removed at the earliest period after they have emitted roots. The plant will occasionally produce seeds, which may be sown as soon as ripe ; in which case, it will be advisable to protect the young plants during the first winter, or the sowing may be deferred until the following spring, when the plants would, if raised early in the year, acquire sufficient strength to bear exposure in the open air in the ensuing winter. The genus Dielytra (Gr. Dis, two, and elytron, a pouch or purse) is so named, in allusion to the inflation of the two outer petals at their base. Four other species are known in addition to that now figured—D. formosa, previously referred to; cucullaria; eximia, a handsome species still rather rare; and canadensis—all natives of North America. Few gardens are without some species of Fumaria or Corydalis, two genera closely allied to that to which our subject belongs; and it may, therefore, not be altogether uninterestiag if we notice the principal points of difference between them and the present genus. Both differ from Dielytra in having but one petal spurred; and the three genera are further distinguished from each other by the seed vessel; this in Fumaria is a one-seeded indehiscent nut, and in Corydalis and Dielytra, a many-seeded pod opening by two valves, which in Corydalis is more compressed than in the last-mentioned genus. Our plant appears to have been known to Linneus under the name of Fumaria spectabilis, but it is only since its reintroduction into England in 1846, from the North of China, by the London Horticultural Society, through the medium of their collector, Mr. Fortune, that it has come into general cultivation in this country. THE CULTIVATION OF ALPINES. E term “Alpine,” taken in its widest sense, as applied to a class of plants, implies not only those small inter- esting objects which are found in elevated situations, but all the diminutive perennial plants found in any - = gituation whatever, not being actually aquatic. This tribe of plants has of recent years been very much neglected, owing, I apprehend, to their habits in general, and the materials most con- nial to their growth, not being properly understood by gardeners: indeed there are but few persons who seem disposed to make a sufficient enquiry into their habits or character, to enable them to grow them successfully. It is a very general, though certainly a most mistaken notion, that because many of them grow on the summit of mountains, and in other very exposed situations, they are capable of enduring an intense degree of cold, and are therefore March, ‘ie v4 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. left unprotected during the winter; but, from this cause, many of them perish—a conclusion which might easily be arrived at, were we to take into consideration our very variable climate, and the conse- quent fluctuation of heat and cold, humidity and moisture, to which these plants are subjected in this country. By a careful examina- tion into the cireumstances in which they are naturally placed, it will be found that, so far from their being exposed to any sudden transition of temperature, or to the action of intense cold, they are, during the winter season, or the greater part of it, enveloped in snow, which is impervious to severe frosts, and forms a protecting screen equal, if not superior, to any the art of man can apply, at least where there is any bulk of it, because it is then maintained at a very trifling degree below freezing point, its surface merely being affected by cold or heat. The plants, whilst in this state, exist in comparative inaction, but in a uniform state as regards heat and moisture—so that, whatever change takes place, it is so gradual, that little or no injury can take place. It cannot therefore seem strange at the want of success which is, for the most part, realized in their cultivation. I will now briefly state the manner in which I have grown them, and which has been attended with considerable success. About the beginning of August they are shifted; those intended for specimens are put into pots four inches deep by six across, and those for stock in pots three inches across. I am principally guided as to what sort of soil I put them in, by judging in what situation they naturally grow: for instance, those that are found in very exposed piaces I put in a mixture of loam, peat, and sand, thoroughly incorporated with fine broken potsherds; whilst the more delicate sorts, and those which grow in moist, damp situations, are potted in sandy peat, in some instances with a very small addition of loam, and where pure leaf-mould can be had, a small portion is beneficial in both mixtures. After being potted, they are put in some shady situation, or into cradles, over which hoops are placed—so that they can be exposed, shaded, or protected, at pleasure. On the approach of winter they are plunged, to the rim, in coal ashes, or some other coarse porous material, and protected from severe frosts by suitable coverings. In this state they require very little water during the winter months, and when given, it is very sparingly. On the arrival of spring they are unplunged; if this is not done they are apt to root out of the pot, and when ‘removed, receive a severe check. As the season advances they are shaded from the mid-day sun, and well sprinkled, night and morning, with water—gradually diminishing this, on the approach of winter. The plans generally adopted for their propagation are by seed, which should be sown as soon as ripe; and by division of the plant, which can be done at the potting season. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. “tT or USES OF THE GARDEN FRAME. (Continued from page 57.) FORCING THE CUCUMBER. JHE first step towards the cultivation of the cucumber is the raising of the seedling plants; but as some of our readers are not likely to practise this operation on a very extensive scale, we would recommend them to pro- cure plants from the nearest nurseryman, for it some- times, and indeed frequently, happens that there are many accidents and disappointments take place before the seedlings can be brought to the advanced state of being fit to ‘‘ridge out.” It will therefore save much trouble if the plants can be obtained from some source without incurring the trouble and anxiety of raising them. When they are obtained in this way, the cultivators should see that they have been properly “ stopped,” which means, that as soon as the plants have acquired two well-developed, rough leaves, the leading shoot must be pinched off, while it is just issuing from the axil of the second rough leaf, the object of which is to cause the plant to throw out lateral shoots; for the cucumber, being a climbing plant, would shoot away in one long, straggling stem if this pre- caution were not taken. If the plants are brought from any distance, and the weather should happen to be cold, great care must be taken that they do not get chilled, and thereby checked in their growth. They must therefore be placed in a close box, which should be wrapped in a flannel covering, and so covered that there is no possi- bility of the cold air getting at the plant. It may, however, happen that some of our readers reside in places far removed from any opportunity of procuring plants ready pre- pared ; in such eases, it will be necessary to raise them from seed. The first step then to be taken is to procure some sound and healthy seeds, not less than three years old, if possible, for, within reason, the older they are the better, as the plants are then more productive of fruit, and less so of Jeaves and vine. Having obtained the seeds, throw them into a basinful of water, and those that are sound will sink to the bottom, while those that are not likely to germinate will float on the surface. The seeds being chosen, let them be sown in a large flower-pot or seed-pan, filled with a compost of sandy loam and vegetable mould, and let them be covered with half-an-inch thick of soil. Now this pot may be placed on the side or end of the hot- ‘bed, on the outside of the frame, having a stratum of ashes under it to prevent the steam from rising, and the whole covered with a hand-glass. In the course of three or four days after the seeds are sown, the plants will begin to appear through the soil, and now the care of the gardener begins. During the middle of the day there should be an admission of fresh air, by tilting the hand-glass a little on one side, and if at this period the weather should prove frosty, a mat or some other covering must be laid over the opening, In giving water tothe young plants, care must be had not to water them over- head, as this is very apt to cause them to damp off, but it should be March, 76 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. allowed to fall on the surface of the soil only, and to be of sufficient quantity as to penetrate to the roots. It is absolutely necessary also that the water should be of the same temperature as the interior of the hand-glass, and for this end a potful should be placed in the bed over-night, so as to be ready for use the following day; and after each watering, the hand-glass should be kept close down for the space of half-an-hour. When the plants have almost divested them- selves of their seminal envelope, they should be “ pricked out”’ into pots about four or five inches in diameter at the top; but here again care must also be had that these pots, and the soil with which they are to be filled, should be placed in the frame over-night, in the same way as the water is directed to be done, otherwise, the plants being very tender, if repotted into cold soil they are very likely to be chilled and checked in their growth. In “ pricking them out,” they should be put three in a pot, in a triangular position, or, as the country people call it, rook-toe-wise. As soon as they have got the two rough leaves, they must be “ stopped,” as indicated above; and after having thrown out lateral shoots, they will be ready for “ ridging out.” Now this sowing of the seeds must be begun simultaneously with the first superposition of the frame on the bed, and by the time the bed, that is, the interior of the frame, is sufficiently sweetened and properly earthed, the plants will be ready to be received in their permanent positions. For the purpose of properly ridging out the plants, they must be turned out of the pots, without disturbing the solid ball of roots, and to do this requires some degree of skill on the part of the un- initiated practitioner. The way this is performed is by the operator placing his right hand flat on the top of the pot, with his fingers so disposed that the plants will be placed between them. The pot must then be inverted, with the mouth downwards, and by slightly tapping its edge on the frame, the plants will fall into the hand with their roots undisturbed, and enveloped in a complete ball of earth. Previous to this, however, a hole should be made in the centre of each hillock, of sufficient size and depth to receive the balls of the plants ; in these holes the plants are to be placed, and then the earth drawn all round and over the balls, close up to the neck of the plants. This done, they should be slightly watered with tepid water, as before described, and the lights be kept close for an hour or two; after which they may again be opened a little at the back, to allow the escape of the rising steam. ‘The plants will now begin to branch and grow freely; and as the side-shoots extend themselves, they should be trained regularly, or at equal distances from each other, over the whole bed. If the plants are well managed and healthy, they will, in the course of ten or twelve days after being planted out, produce flowers; and whenever there is the appearance of a fruit being set, the extremity of the shoot should be immediately picked off, one joint above where the fruit is set: this gardeners call “ stopping.” As the plants extend themselves, the shoots should be pegged down with small hooked sticks, to keep them in their proper places. The chief attention required now will be a judicious supply of water and fresh air. Of the former two or three appli- THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. T7 cations during a week will be sufficient, and of the latter there must be a constant and free admission daily, even during frost, provided the atmosphere be calm and clear; but when this is the case, the aperture should generally be covered witha mat. The way of giving air is by tilting the lights from half-an-inch to two inches high at the back, which must be regulated by the heat which is contained in the bed. During night the lights must always be covered with mats, and if the heat is strong and the weather should be mild, they may be left tilted about half-an-inch. Whenever the bed shows symptoms of a decrease in the temperature, it must be supplied with linings, and this is done by applying hot dung, fifteen to eighteen inches wide and six or eight inches higher than the bed, to allow for settling, all round the bed ; this will increase the heat to its original strength, and whenever it is becoming exhausted these old linings must be removed, and fresh ones applied. ‘The temperature of the cucumber frame should never be below 70° or above 95°. (To be continued.) ON THE CULTURE OF THE CAMEMLIA. AHE soil best adapted to the growth of Camellias is a mixture of peat, earth, and loam in nearly equal pro- portions; when the loam is peculiarly light and sandy, a less quantity of peat is requisite. The earth should be well mixed, and passed through a coarse sieve, reserving the detached portions of peat and loam that will not pass the sieve, to fill the bottom of the pots, thereby securing a free drainage—a circumstance indispensable to the success of the plants. The proper season for the general shifting is when the young growth has hardened, and the blossom-buds for next year can be detected at the extremity of the shoots. After shifting all those that require it, they may be placed in the open air, or retained in the greenhouse, according to the season they are wanted to flower. If kept in the greenhouse, as much air as possible should be admitted, and occasionally sprinkling the foliage will improve the appearance, as well as be beneficial to the health of the plants. At all times attention must be paid to watering them properly, the roots being apt to become matted in the pots, so as to render the ball of earth impervious to moisture; hence it is necessary to see that the ball of earth is moistened by the water poured upon it, instead of the web of fibres only. This renders an examination of the roots, and reducing or pruning them, at least once a year, a measure almost indispensable. At the respected periods of growth and flowering, the plants will require plentiful watering; during the latter, if not regularly supplied, the bloom-buds will infallibly fall off, instead of expanding into flower; at other times a regular moderate supply is essential. ‘Lhe effect of constantly watering may March. 78 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. be presumed to diminish or destroy the fertility of the small quan- tity of earth allotted to each plant; therefore when the annual repotting occurs, carefully take away as much of the former ball of earth as can be done without injuring or cutting the roots. The Camellia may be considered as a hardy greenhouse plant, requiring only a slight protection in severe weather, like the myrtle; and if the plants are kept just above the freezing-point, they will succeed much better than when grown in a higher temperature. At the time they are making their growth, an increase of heat will be advantageous. The usual methods of propagation are by inarching or grafting and budding on the single red Camellia, cuttings of which are found to strike root more readily than of the double varieties. The cuttings are taken in July and August, or as soon as the young shoots are sufficiently ripe at the base. They are carefully prepared by being cut smoothly over with a sharp knife at a joint, and divested of one or two leaves at the bottom, and then planted firmly about two inches deep in pots filled with the Camellia compost before described, and the upper half with fine white sand. They are then well watered, and the plants plunged in a tan-bed which gives out a gentle warmth, and kept closely shaded for three or four months, by which time short fibres, or a callus from which they afterwards diverge, are produced. When sufficiently rooted to bear removal, they are potted singly in smali pots, the sand being then carefully removed ; the pots should be well drained, and filled with the Camellia compost, with the addition of a little white sand. They are afterwards to be sprinkled with water, and placed in a close frame or pit until they begin to root afresh, and by degrees exposed to the air. The succeeding season they may be potted in the same soil as the other Camellias and similarly treated, and many of the plants will then have attained sufficient size and strength for inarching or budding, and all of them by the following season. The best time for inarching is early in the spring, Just before the plants begin to grow; and for budding, as soon as the new wood is sufficiently ripened, but it may be done at almost any season of the year. Tur Cororapo Potato Brretiz.—In order to prevent the introduction of the Colorado potato beetle amongst potatoes imported from the United States or Canada, instructions have been issued to the collectors of customg, at the various ports of the United Kingdom that custom-house officers are to look out for the beetle on board vessels, wharves, quays, sheds, or packages landed from vessels, and instantly destroy it. To aid them in identifying the beetle a lithographed sketch and description of it have been forwarded. The colour of the insect is yellow, with black spots on the fore part, and ten black stripes, five on each of the wing covers. It is somewhat like a large ladybird, but is rather longer in shape, and is also striped, a peculiarity which is absent in all species of ladybirds. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 79 PROPAGATING CASE. sx» CCORDING to our promise to a correspondent last # month, we now give a design of a propagating case which has been found to answer admirably. The ficure represents the case in section. A, is a square wooden ai box lined with zinc; it is twenty inches square and one foot high. B, is a zinc frame, perforated with small holes.} ,C, artin - copper pan for water. D,a lamp with four burners, colza oil ‘ 4 PH otek me Met ot & Si] PROPAGATING CASE, being preferred to any other. E,a diaphragm of zinc to confine the heat to the water, the space within D, where the flame of the lamp ‘plays being filled with heated air causes the boiler C to be heated ‘over the whole of its under surface. fF, is a funnel for filling the boiler. G, a zinc frame fitted with glass, the whole of which can be lifted off at pleasure. The sides of the box are perforated with holes to admit air for the combustion of the lamp, as shown at H. The lamp is pushed into the centre of the space below by means of the grooves I, and when the case is at work it has the appearance shown in the following small outline engraving, where it is seen that the side of the lamp is closed with a door, which should be of glass, in order that the operator may readily become aware whether or not the lamp is burning properly. March, 80 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. THE MULTIPLICATION OF PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS. (Extracted from “ The 4mateur’s Flower Garden.”*) imme Y far the greater proportion of plants that are multiplied by cuttings require artificial heat. | Nevertheless, cuttings of many tender plants may be struck in the open ground, or in pots and in frames, without heat, during summer, and in every case the mode of procedure is nearly the same. Very much of what we have to say will be applicable to summer propagation without artificial heat, though our business is more directly with the propagation of plants in spring by means of the heat a a tank or a hot-bed, because that system must be resorted to with many bedding plants, and requires more care than propagating in the open ground during summer. We must suppose the heat to be sufficient and constant. If from fermenting material, there should be a large body of it in a nicely-tempered state. There is nothing so good as a tank, for the operator has thus complete command over his work, and can enjoy the comfort of a warm house while attending to his duties. As a rule, a bottom-heat of 60° to 70° will suffice for all kinds of bedding plants that are struck from cuttings. A temperature of 80° to S0° may be used by persons who have had much experience, but 70° should be the maximum for beginners. Plants to be propagated from in spring CUTTING OF FUcHsIA. should be in a free-growing state, because the best cuttings are those of shoots newly formed, and the worst those from shoots of last year. If therefore the plants are not freely growing, the propagator must wait for them; and to promote free growth, the temperature of the house should be kept at from 60° to 70°, with a moderate amount of atmospheric moisture, and as much light as possible, so that the young shoots will be of a healthy green, and with short joints. Suppose we look over a lot of fuchsias that have been some time in a warm house, we shall find them full of little stubby side-shoots all ready to hand, without demanding any particular skill to remove them. Select one of these plump shoots, of an inch or an inch and a half long, press the thumb against it, and it will snap away “ witha heel ’—that is, with a thickened base, the separation taking place at the point where it issues out of the old wood. When you have removed it, it will probably have such an appearance as in the subjoined figure. All that this requires for its preparation is to remove the bud which * “The Amateur’s Flower Garden.” By Shirley Hibberd. Price 6s. Groombridge and Sons, London. Z THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 81 has just started near the base of the cutting, so as to leave a suffi- cient length of clear stem to insert the cutting in sand firmly. When so inserted, and kept moist, warm, and shaded, roots will soon _ be formed at the base ; and as soon as the roots have begun to run in search of nourishment, the top of the shoot will begin to grow, which is the sign for potting off. But suppose we have a chrysan- themum instead of a fuchsia. This will have a mass of tender shoots rising from the root, and there is no need to take any of these off with a heel. Witha knife, a pair of scissors, or the thumb-nail, remove a small shoot of not more than three or four inches in length—two inches will be sufficient. This will pro- bably have some such aspect as in the figure. All the preparation this requires is the removal of the lower leaf, to make a sufficient length of clear stem for inserting it in silver-sand. Or suppose we have instead a hard- wooded plant of robust growth, and which is known to be easily rooted, then we may venture to take a still larger cutting. _ The figure on p. 82 is a side-shoot of Veronica _ Lindleyana; it consists of - four joints, is young, the CUTTING OF CHRYSANTHEMUM. wood not yet hardened, and needs no preparation at all, because there is a proper length of stem for its insertion. In the case of plants having large fleshy leaves, it may sometimes be needful to crop off half of every leaf except those near the top bud; but, as a rule, as many leaves should be allowed to remain as possible, because the more leaves that can be kept alive while the cutting is making roots, the quicker will it become a plant. No definite rule can be given on this head to guide the inexperienced. It all depends upon how many leaves can be kept alive. If the cuttings are to enjoy a brisk heat, say 70°, with ee of atmospheric moisture, then nearly all the leaves may be left entire, and especially if the cuttings are in a close propagating frame, or under bell-glasses. But if they are likely to be exposed to draughts, if they are placed in pots or pans in an ordinary green- house, and, therefore, subjected to evaporation, the leaves must be -reduced in number, and all the larger ones must be cut half away. Another matter of importance in making cuttings is to determine whether they are to be rooted from a joint or not. Most cultivators March, 6 82 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. prefer to cut the shoot quite close under a joint, so as to obtain roots from that joint. But there is no occasion to cut to a joint; apy plant ordinarily propagated for the garden, will root as quickly from the “‘internode”—that is, the portion of stem intermediate between two joints—as from the joints themselves. This is of great importance when cuttings are scarce: asa shoot will often furnish half-a-dozen cuttings, if taking them at a joint is of no consequence ; and only one or two, perhaps, if taking them at a joint is imperative. CUTTING OF VERONICA. The size of the cuttings is a matter of great importance. Asa rule, the smaller they are the better. Still, if very soft, many may — damp off unless very skilfully handled, so the amateur must secure them moderately firm. Three or four joints will generally suffice of most things, or say nice plump shoots of from one to two inches long. If young side-shoots are scarce, longer shoots may be cut up in lengths of three joints; and if it is a question of raising the largest possible number of plants from the fewest cuttings, then one THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 83 joint and its accompanying leaf will suffice. Suppose we have a shoot of a verbena placed in our hands to make the most of it; we shall first cut it into as many lengths as there are joints, leaving each leaf untouched, and to every joint as much stem as can be got by cutting just over instead of just wnder the joints. Then witha sharp knife we split each of these joints in half, so as to have one bud and leaf to each split portion, and from every one of these we expect a good plant. The most convenient way of disposing of the cuttings is to dibble them into shallow pans filled with wet silver-sand, as fast as they are prepared. The best way for those who may have to leave the cuttings in the pans for any time after they have formed roots, is to prepare the pans with crocks for drainage, and over the crocks to spread an inch of chopped moss or peat torn up into small shreds, or cocoa-nut fibre dust, and then fill up to the brim with clean silver- sand. The sand should be quite wet when the cuttings are inserted ; and when they have been regularly dibbled im with the aid of a bit of stick, or with the fingers only, it should be placed where there is a bottom-heat of 60° to 70°. A temperature of 80° is allowable when time is an object, but at 60° better plants may be grown ; in fact, there is generally too much heat used. From the time of putting the cuttings in heat till they begin to grow, the temperature must be steady, and there must be regular supplies of water. But water given carelessly will surely entail losses. Probably the sand will retain sufficient moisture for eight or ten days, without needing to be wetted beyond what reaches it in the process of dewing the leaves. To dew the leaves neatly and timely is one of the most important matters. For the amateur, to whom a few minutes is no object, the best way is to dip a hard brush in water, then hold the brush beside the cuttings, and draw the hand briskly over it. This causes a fine spray to be deposited on the leaves, to prevent flagging ; but if the water is given from the rose of a watering-pot, the cuttings, if small, may be washed out of their places, or may be made too wet. ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE RASPBERRY. @e=3() ME of the best varieties of this delicious fruit, that is, #4 possessing quality and productiveness, are to be found among the older kinds. The red and yellow Antwerp are still cultivated to a considerable extent, as also a variety called the double bearing, which produces fruit in the autumn as well as the summer, but the Fastol or Fibly is the best and most productive of all at present known, the flavour is surpassed by none, in size of fruit it excels ; it has also the quali- fication of giving a second crop in the autumn, therefore where this variety is grown, no other need be encouraged, except for mere fancy of change of colour for the table; then the white or yellow may be called in. March. 84. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. A few years since there were a long contest as to who or what district had a just claim to the merit of introducing this valuable acquisition to the fruit garden, and it is yet a query whether the present name, or names, it bears is correct ; as it is not important to the consumer, I will not dispute it here, but there are persons who feel great interest in acquiring the history of all fruits, etc., imme- diately under their own care, and by those it may be mooted at some future time, my object at present being that of merely giving my practice on the cultivation of this desirable fruit, to commence which I will begin with taking suckers from the old plants to form new plantations. In the first place, it is necessary the stock from which suckers are to be taken should be of healthy and vigorous growth, for if they have been long standing in the same situation, a decline in vigour is likely to take place, and, as the young stuff naturally imbibes the defect, care should be taken to avoid falling in error, which may be followed by disappointment. Suckers may be planted from October to about the middle of February, providetl it be done when the ground is not frozen, take them from the old plants by a slight pull, they do not require much exertion; the ground intended for their reception should be dug rather deep, be well manured, and ready to receive the plants. Strong suckers taken with a ball of earth to them may be planted three in a heap, each heap four feet apart in the rows; and if more than one row is planted, the opposite should be at six feet distance. The openings between the rows will not be lost; crops of various kinds can be produced in the spaces in the spring and summer months. The best mode of pruning to insure a good supply of canes for the following season, which is a consideration well worth notice, is to prune strong canes to three feet, a second two feet, and a third within two or three inches of the surface of the soil ; by such manage- ment a nice little crop may be taken the first year, and plenty of strong canes left fora main crop. As soon as the canes begin’ to shoot in the spring, they should be carefully thinned, for if an over- stock is allowed to continue they will draw too much nourishment from the old canes, and thus weaken and reduce the quality of the fruit ; about the middle of May this must be seen to, four or five being left to each stool, will be all sufficient. Mulch is of great service during the fruiting time, and a liberal supply should always be given, the effect will soon be obvious by the superior healthy appearance of the foliage. As soon as the fruit is gathered the old bearing rod may be cut away, and the young canes be brought a little closer together. As soon as the leaves have fallen pruning may begin, leaving about four canes of different heights, say about four feet for the ~ highest, nine inches lower for the second, and follow this principle a out with the remainder. A top-dressing should now be given, and — the canes be neatly tied, leaving them moderately open, so that the — sun may act alike on each. A few may be planted against a south © wall for an early crop, where they will come very fine. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. . 85 FEEDING BEES. i would remind those of our readers who keep bees, that the season approaches when these useful insects should be attended to. Like all other live stock, they pay best when best fed. During the depth of winter it 1s un- necessary to feed them; an occasional mild day may entice them abroad, and our own plan being always to thwart nature as little as possible, we allow the exit to remain open for them to take advantage of, a boon which it is evident they may enjoy without risk. If the previous weather have been severe, their food within the hive will not be exhausted, and they will refuse any that may have been prepared fer them, and even placed close to their hives. They appear, indeed, to be roused from their torpidity merely to sport in a sunny gleam, for they buzz continually about their homes, are never seen at a distance from them, nor are they found wearied and dying, as in early spring; but as soon as their brief and doubt- less necessary exposure to the open air is over, they retire to their hives, and quietly settle to another season of sleep or torpor. But as the spring advances, and their stored provisions become lessened in consequence of the bees being more frequently called into activity and requiring food, they ought to be supplied with nourishment every day on which they may venture abroad, until they find flowers sufficienttfor their subsistence. It is said, but we know not if the assertion may be relied on, that the earliest flowers of spring yield only the substance of which the wax is made. The best food which we know of, excepting honey, and which we have always found to succeed, is thus made :— A quarter of a pint of water, a quarter of a pint of beer (ale), one pound of moist sugar, and a very little salt, ¢.¢., about half a teaspoonful (bees are fond of salt); boil all together till it becomes a syrup. A small quantity of this is to be poured into a large dinner-plate, which is to be placed near the hives, with a few slender twigs put across it, on which the bees may rest while they eat, to prevent their wings from becoming clogged. Some sticks of elder, about half a foot in length, with the pith extracted, excepting an inch at each end, should also be filled with the mixture, and placed on each stand. CAPE BULBS. =) LTHOUGH the number of half-hardy Irids of this class, #| capable of successful cultivation in the open border, is very considerable, they are, with the exception of the Ixias and a few others, so rarely seen in gardens of only = moderate size, that it is difficult to resist the conviction, that to a large class of amateurs the treasures of this beautiful tribe are comparatively unknown. March, 86 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. As the season for planting most of them is arrived, a few hints on the best species and their treatment may prove useful. They are usually grown in beds; and this arrangement affords great facilities for protecting them in severe weather, the majority being too tender to endure full exposure during frost. There is little or no danger, however, to be apprehended when the bulbs are not planted till February or March; and in that case, the question of beds or clumps may be left to the taste and convenience of the amateur. The question of soil is more important; it may, indeed be termed the chief point on which their successful cultivation hinges. They will not do well in poor, sandy soils, which afford them too little nourishment, and stunt their growth; neither will they succeed in the strong, tenacious loams so peculiar to many districts ; and even peat, in which they are so often grown, is less desirable than a compost in which it forms but one ingredient. By far the best results are obtained in a mixture of white sand, good fibrous loam, and turfy peat, in about equal proportions. In such a compost, the whole of the Cape Irids will flourish, whether in the open borders or in pots. The ingredients should be well chopped together, and mingled with the hands, but not sifted, as this would remove the fibrous portion, the presence of which is essential to the porosity of the whole. When the peat and white sand cannot be procured, a mixture of decayed leaf-mould and sandy loam may be used as a substitute ; but leaf-mould is so generally infested with insects, that it cannot be recommended for this purpose. Any nurseryman will supply a sufficient quantity of all three ingredients for a small sum. When the bulbs are grown in clumps in a mixed border, the soil should be removed to a depth of from twelve to sixteen inches. At the bottom of the cavity thus formed, three or four inches of broken sherds must be placed as drainage, and the remaining space may then be filled with compost of peat, loam, and sand. The larger bulbs should be planted from four to six inches, and the smaller ones about three inches deep. Single bulbs, especially of the smaller species, produce so little effect, that they should always be planted in patches of at least three bulbs of each kind. In severe weather, and also in very heavy rains, it will be advisable to cover each patch over, even before the leaves appear, with an empty pot. When grown in a bed, the entire surface may easily be covered with furze, and in the case of bulbs planted in spring, this will afford them all the protection they are likely to require. As they progress in spring, the only further attention they will need will be an occasional watering in dry weather; and the little trouble entailed in the preparation of a proper compost, will be amply rewarded by the greater vigour of the plants, and the superior character of the flowers. But that none may be deterred from the culture of these interest- ing plants, we would add, that in almost any good garden soil, of not too heavy and moist a nature, they will succeed, and even in the case of soils of the most adverse character, a single barrowful of the peat and loam would suffice for ten or twelve good clumps of bulbs. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 87 After flowering, water should be withheld, unless seeds are required, in order that the bulbs may be ripened early. This will, in general, be accomplished soon after the foliage is completely withered, but their removal from the ground is a matter to be left entirely to the taste of the cultivator. If allowed to remain, they will vegetate earlier than those removed and preserved in a dry state, and in mild seasons they will flower earlier the following spring; but on the other hand, they will require more attention during the winter to protect them from frost. When sufficient protection can be afforded them—and this is comparatively easy in the case of those planted in elumps—we think that there is some advantage in allowing them to remain undisturbed for two or three years at least, by which time most of them will have increased so much by offsets, as to require division. If they are kept out of the ground during winter, the smallest offsets frequently wither and perish. We have not room for a list of the best species in each genus, but Gladioli, Watsonias, and Antholyzas are the tallest; most of the others comparatively dwarf. CULTURE OF THE TREE CARNATION. a=W plants are more improved of late years, both in habit 4 of growth, variety and richness of colours, than Tree Carvations, and they amply repay the attention that has been bestowed on them, for they are not only beautiful jj but very fragrant, and with little care they may be had in flower at almost any season; in fact, if a sufficient quantity of plants is prepared, a succession of bloom may be obtained from them the whole year round. I trust therefore, that we shall shortly see them very extensively cultivated. They are easily propagated by cuttings, which should be made of half-ripe wood, like the show varieties, cutting them close off below ajoint and removing the lower leaves. March or April will be found the best months for putting in a stock for winter blooming, as they will make excellent plants during summer and autumn. Although they strike readily nearly all the year round if placed in a slight bottom-heat, the most healthy of the old plants should be selected and placed in a warm temperature to excite growth prior to the cuttings being taken off. By following this plan they will be found to strike more freely. The pots should be thoroughly drained for their reception, and a portion of rough siftings or moss placed over the crocks. The compost should consist of one-half light sandy soil and one-half leaf-mould and sand, run through a fine sieve and well mixed together. With this the pots should be filled to within about half an inch of the top, the remainder being made up with sharp sand pressed firmly and slightly watered before the cuttings are inserted. If placed ina slight bottom-heat they will not require any bell- glasses to cover them, for if only slightly shaded during sunny days they will very speedily take root. All decaying matter should be removed the moment it is perceived, as it creates damp. March, 88 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. — As soon as they have become sufficiently rooted, pot them into four-inch pots, still keeping them in a warm atmosphere, and stop them in order to form them into compact bushes. As soon as they have again filled the pots with roots, give them another liberal shift into seven-inch pots, still keeping them in a warm atmosphere, and using the syringe freely until they have got quite established; when they should be gradually hardened off, and finally placed in a cold frame, where they may remain during the summer months. Except potting, stopping the shoots, which should only be done when the wood is in a half-ripe state, neatly tying the shoots as they progress, watering when required, frequently overhead, and occasion- ally stirring the surface-soil, nothing will be needed during the summer and autumn. I have, however, found green-fly troublesome at times, but if the watering-pot is freauently used overhead, but little need be feared either from them or red spider; if they happen to be attacked by mildew, apply sulphur as soon as it is perceived. When cold damp weather sets in, remove them to the greenhouse or conservatory, where they will come into bloom in succession during the whole of the dull winter months. After they have done flowering, select the most healthy cuttings—the old plants should be cut down for another year or thrown away. The stopping should always be regulated by the time when they are wanted to be in blossom—for instance, for early winter flowering the plants should not be stopped after July, and so on; if the plants are well ripened by autumn, they may, by a little additional heat, be had in flower whenever they are required. The soil best suited for their culture is maiden loam, leaf-mould, rotten cow-dung, and silver-sand, to which may be added a portion of mortar rubbish, in order to keep the soil porous; manure-water, with occasional watering of soot-water, will be found beneficial during the growing and blooming season. FORMATION AND ARRANGING OF A HERBARIUM. = HE object in forming a herbarium is not merely to pre- fy) serve dried plants, but to have them so arranged as they may be easily known and determined. In the first place, it will be necessary to provide a quantity of grey paper, and nearly as much of white, of the same size and pretty strong, without which the specimens would rot in the grey paper, the plants or the flowers would lose their colour, by which they are most usually known, and which is most pleasant to behold in the collection. A press must also be prepared, and a very simple and powerful press may be made by any amateur in carpentry, according to the design here submitted, which has the advantage of not requiring screws, or any of the nicer fittings which an amateur might not be able to produce. It consists of a stout board of beech A, to which is fixed a framework B. Between these is a travelling platen or top board ¢, on the upper side of which are THE FLORAI WORLD AND GARDEN GUID#. 89 fixed two inclined planes pp. The lever F travels on the inclined planes when impelled by the handle u, and can be prevented from slipping back by means of pegs inserted in the top edge of the planes pp. The platen c is kept close to the collar when not under pressure, by means of two pieces of elastic web. You will require some kind of box or collecting case on your rambles, and the by Cte THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 111 we profess to do, is to teach the way to produce them. The seed should be sown in pots any time in March, and kept in the hot-bed. They should be covered from a quarter to half an inch deep with soil. When the plants are up, and have attained two or three inches high, they may be pricked out either in rows on the outside border of the bed, or in small pots, putting only one plant in a pot. As they gain strength and increase in size, let them be shifted into larger pots; and, by the latter end of May, they will be ready to be transplanted to their final destination, which snould be in a sheltered situation, with good exposure to the sun. Some should also be planted against a wall, or trained to a trellis; and when they have made a free growth, they should be carefully trained to whatever object they may be in contact. When they have shown a requisite quantity of fruit, the shoots should be pinched off, so as to throw all the vigour into the fruit, which will now swell and increase to a desirable size. It must be borne in mind in cultivating this plant in this climate, that the first-formed fruit only will be brought to maturity, and to allow the plant to go on setting an additional quan- tity, which will never ripen, is only to exhaust its strength, and thereby injure that which it has already produced. The fruit will ripen in succession during September till the early part of October. Vegetable Marrow.—This, also, is a very excellent vegetable, which is not so extensively cultivated as it might be; and as there is nothing peculiar or difficult in the management, there is no garden, however small, which need be without it. The seeds should be sown in a pot about the first or second week in April, and treated much in the same way as we have directed for cucumbers. When they have shed the seed envelope, pot them off into small pots, putting one plant into each pot, and keep them in the frame until they have made a free growth. ‘hey must then be “ stopped,” and about the last week in May plant them out in a favourable situation, with a considerable mass of well-rotted dung at the roots. When it is practicable, the best situation is on an old hot-bed. If well fed, they will grow luxuriantly, and as the vine becomes strong, it should be pegged down at intervals, when it will take root, and contribute much towards the strength of the plant. This is a most useful culinary plant. The fruit is ready for use when not larger than a goose’s egg, and they ought never to be allowed to grow too large. There are several other varieties of vegetables which, though not, properly speaking, belonging to the hot-bed department, are never- _ theless, when wanted early, raised in this way: these are broccoli, cauliflower, and celery. When, as is sometimes the case, these are wanted carly, they are sown in pans, and pricked out, when large enough, either on a hot-bed hooped over and covered with a mat, or in some very warm and sheltered situation, and protected with the lights of a frame which is not in use. After remaining for some time in this situation, and having gained strength, they are planted out where they are to remain, when the weather is favourable for such a purpose. Besides the vegetables which we have mentioned as desirable to raise in the hot-bed frame, there are also some of the tender annuals, April. 112 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. which should not be lost sight of, and which will, during the summer and autumn months, contribute very much towards the ornament and pleasure not only of the garden, but also of the sitting-room and balcony. Of these, we may mention balsams, browallias, cocks- combs, ice plant, marvel of Peru, sensitive plant, and thunbergias. The ice plant and sensitive plant are more curious than ornamental; but, like birds of the finest song, which have but unattractive plumage, these very interesting plants, though they have no floral beauties to display, will be found to contribute no small amount of pleasure and gratification. Balsams.—There is not, perhaps, a more gorgeous flower grown than the balsam, and the great perfection to which they have of late years been brought, both as regards the variety of their colours and the immense size of their flowers, has made them even of more general cultivation than heretofore. There are two modes of grow- ing the balsam: the one when it is desired to have a bushy, shrubby- looking, little tree, and the other when one straight rod or spike of bloom is preferred. But, first of all, let us turn our attention to raising the plants; and this should be done from the middle of March till the beginning of April. The seed should be sown in a pot containing fine, light, sandy loam, with a good proportion of vegetable mould. The pot should then be plunged in the bed of the frame, and in the course of six or eight days the plants will appear above the surface; and when they have attained the height of about three inches pot them off into small pots, and again plunge them into the hot-bed. The soil on this occasion should have a little well-decomposed stable-dung mixed with it; and place them near the back of the frame, so that they may get as much air as pos- sible by the apertures when the lights are cpen. As the roots fill the pot, the plants must be regularly shifted, care being taken never to allow them to become “ pot-bound.”’ Jn this way they must be continued, adding a greater portion of rotten dung at every shift, until they are in eight or twelve-inch pots ; and during the whole of this progress they must have abundance of water. To have them of the fine bushy habit spoken of above, they must now have plenty of room, and be regularly supplied with waterings of manure-water ; they will then acquire a great size both in height and breadth. But if the other mode is desired—viz., to have simply a tall spike studded with bloom, the plants must be stunted a little in their growth when they are in four or five-inch pots; and, when they show flower, select those only which exhibit the most excellent properties either as regards colour or size. Let them be kept close together, and without much air, they will then be drawn up, and instead of branch- ing at the side, will present a mass of finely-developed flowers. About the end of May, or beginning of June, the plants may be introduced into the open border, having previously opened holes to receive them—about two or three feet apart from each other—and into these holes supply a pretty liberal quantity of well-rotted manure. In such a situation the balsam will bloom freely during the whole of the summer and autumn months, and will only be ter- minated by the frost of October. a OP Ee eee) THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 113 Cockscombs.—As there is little difference between the treatment of the balsam and cockscomb, the instructions previously given will be quite applicable in this case. It is not necessary, however, to grow the cockscomb in such large pots as the balsam. Ice Plant.—Al\though there is nothing in the floral character of this interesting little plant to recommend it in the flower garden, still there is something about the peculiar crystalline, or rather glacial appearance which it exhibits, to make it attractive. The seeds should be sown in a pot, and very slightly covered with finely- sifted vegetable mould ; and when the plants have made three or four leaves, they ought then to be potted off into what are called small sixty pots, and kept in the frame till the roots have almost filled the pots. Ifit is intended to have large spreading plants, they may be re-potted into pots two sizes larger, and gradually hardened off till they are planted out in June. The best situation for displaying this beautiful little plant is on rockwork, and planted in rather poor soil. Ipomeas.—These are very ornamental and elegant annuals, pro- ducing, throughout a great part of the summer and autumn, a profusion of the most elegant flowers. When trained to a trellis or on sticks, they form an admirable screen. Of these the I. coccinea and Burridgii are the finest. They require to be sown in pots three inches and a half wide at the top, and filled with light sandy loam, peat, and leaf-mould, to which should be added a liberal supply of silver sand, in sufficient quantity so as to render the whole quite porous, and to allow the water to percolate freely. When the plants have fully developed their seed-leaves, they should be carefully raised with a stick from the seed-pot and transplanted into the same sized pots, filled with similar soil as the others. In a short time they will begin to throw up a long twining shoot, which should be supported by placing a stick in each pot, to which the plants may entwine. After they have filled the pots with roots, they may then be planted out in the situations they are intended to occupy. Sensitive Plant.—This is, strictly speaking, a tender plant, and will not endure exposure even during our warm summer in an open border ; it will therefore require to be kept constantly in the frame. It is, perhaps, one of the most interesting plants known, from possessing the singular property of folding up its leaves on receiving the slightest touch; and, if roughly handled, the whole plant will become as if paralysed. ‘The leaf-stalk appears as if attached to the plant by a joint, and when touched it falls down, and presents all the appearance as if endowed with something more than vegetable life. The seed should be sown in five-inch pots, containing a soil composed of light sandy loam, vegetable mould, peat, and a good proportion of silver sand. Let them be watered sparingly, at least only sufficiently to enable the seeds to germinate. When they have made two or three leaves, let them be transplanted into small pots containing a similar soil, but the pots must be well drained; when they have filled these pots, let them be removed into those which are six inches wide at the top, and this will be their last shift. To render the plants bushy, they should from time to time have April, 8 114 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. their extremities pinched off, and this will add much to their appearance. Thunbergia alata.—The popular name of this pretty annual among gardeners is Black-eyed Susan. It is not, strictly speaking, an annual, but as it succeeds well when treated as such, and as it is a most desirable addition to the flower garden, we have deemed it advisable to introduce it here. There are many plants which are treated in this country as annvals, which are in reality perennial in their native soil. Even the sweet mignonette, if kept during the winter in a greenhouse, will preserve a shrubby habit of growth, and may, by proper care and treatment, be made to last for several years. So in this respect we may admit the Thunbergia alata among the number of our tender annuals. This plant requires rather more attention than those which we have already mentioned. The seeds should be sown in pots filled with soil composed of one-half leaf- mould, and the other half sand; at the bottom of the pots there must be ample provision for drainage, for the soil requires to be kept constantly moist; it must not, however, be either saturated with water, or ever allowed to become dry, for in each case the plants are almost sure to die off. When the plants are large enough, they should be moved into larger pots, and, after they have gained strength, planted out in May. If it is intended to treat this as a climber, it must be trained to a stick or on a trellis; but ifa bushy habit of growth is desired, this can be obtained by pinching off the extremities of the shoots and preventing their development. It may also be pegged down and made to trail over the surface of the ground in the same way as verbenas and petunias are sometimes treated. Tropeolum canariense or peregrinum.—This is a most desirable and one of the most beautiful climbing annuals which has been introduced to the English flower garden, and the great care with which it is cultivated renders it a favourite with all who are fond of a garden. The soil in which it delights most is a fine sandy loam, vegetable, or what is generally called leaf-mould, and plenty of silver sand. The seeds are to be sown in a flower-pot or seed-pan, and covered about half an inch with finely-sifted leaf-mould and sand. They should then be placed in the frame and watered rather sparingly at first; but when the plants begin to show themselves, the allowance of water may be increase a little, and a more liberal supply given when the plants are fully started in their growth; the pots, however, must be well drained. When the plants have shed the seed envelope, and fully developed the cotyledons or seminal leaves, they should be transplanted singly into small sixty pots filled with soil similar to what is recommended above. They will soon begin to push and fill the pot with roots, and when this is the case, they must be re-potted into what are called forty-eight-sized pots. When they have attained about six or eight inches in length, they begin to show a disposition to entwine themselves to some support; they must then be severally furnished with a single stake, to which they may either be tied or allowed to attach themselves. As they gain strength and push out a long straggling shoot, they must be gradually hardened off, and in the end of May or beginning THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 115 of June, planted out in the situation which they are intended to occupy. The soil in which they are planted out should be made very rich, with a rather large proportion of well-rotted dung, sandy loam, and silver sand. If there is not a trellis to train them to, they must be sticked in the same way as peas are done, and they will very soon cover the space which has been appropriated to them, and form a complete mass of beautiful yellow flowers. It will be found very advantageous to water them with liquid manure, or place well-rotted dung on the surface of the ground, and allow it to be washed in. This will make the plant strong, both in growth and bloom. Those of our readers who were resident at the west-end of London, or who were in the habit of walking in Hyde Park some years ago, must have observed the success with which the gatekeeper on the south side of the park cultivated this beautiful plant. We were often much struck with the neatness with which the keeper at the lodge near the Kensington turnpike trained his plants all round the sides and ends of his little lodge, and the taste he displayed in the arcade formed of Tropzolum leading to the door of his dwelling. This isa plant which will well repay any one for cultivating. Even those who may be induced to do so for a pecuniary remuneration will find it productive also in that respect, the seed always being in demand by the London seedsmen. The gatekeeper of Hyde Park already alluded to, we have known to receive as much as five guineas for one year’s produce of the plants grown upon his trellises. It is very commonly called the Canary Plant, and is with some as great a pet as the little songster after which it is named is with his admirers. Although there are many other tender annuals which we could have introduced as capable of being raised in the frame, still it is not within the province of this essay to treat at large upon these matters. To do justice to such a subject would occupy more space than we can afford. Our object in introducing those we have, is simply to guide the horticulturist to the most profitable way of using his frame, leaving him to extend the practice which we have here recommended. Our attention has hitherto been engaged with what has been going on in the interior of the frame, and how best we could occupy the space before the cucumber attains its full growth. We shall now look outwards for a little, and see what use can be made of that part which occupies the external margin of the bed. It will be remem- bered that in laying out the bed, we recommended that it should be eighteen inches wider on all sides than the frame. In general, there is no use whatever made of this margin, but we have always found as much advantage derived from it as there is from the inside. About the middle of March cover the surface of the margin of the bed with finely-sifted soil, composed of sandy loam, vegetable mould, and a little rotten dung, to the depth of about four inches, Let thig be done on the south side of the bed, and it will be found an excellent situation for raising all the half-hardy annuals; this will answer all the purpose required, and save the expense and trouble of raising another bed for the purpose, as is generally recommended by writers April. 116 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. on this subject. The length of the bed being thirteen feet, by deducting six inches at each end, twelve feet clear will be left avail- able for this purpose. The seeds should be sown in drills three inches apart ; this will give forty-eight drills of upwards of a foot in length, and the quantity of seeds which can be raised on this space will be more than sufficient for the supply of any suburban flower garden. Ifa few choice varieties are selected to be grown, then two or three rows can be devoted to one sort. The annuals which we would recommend for this purpose are as follows :— Argemone mexicana, grandiflora, and ochroleuca; China Asters of the best German selected varieties; Brachycome iberidifolia ; Clintonia elegans and pulchella; Collinsia bicolor and grandiflora ; EKutoca multiflora, viscida, and Wrangleana; Hibiscus Africanus major; African and French Marigolds of the most choice varieties ; Phlox Drummondi; Chinese Pink; Schizanthus pinnatus, Grahami, and retusus; Ten-week, Brompton, and Queen Stocks of the finest selected German varieties; Viscaria oculata and Zinnia elegans, with its finest varieties. These are a few half-hardy annuals, which may be sown in this position. They may all be sown about the last week in March or first of April, but not too thickly. When they have grown so much as to begin to crowd each other, they must be pricked out into rows all round the east, north, and west sides, which should first be also covered in the same way with soil as we directed for the south side; after remaining there till they have acquired some degree of strength, they may be removed to the places they are intended to occupy in the flower garden. ; Having now concluded our remarks on the employment of the garden frame in forcing, we will in the next number turn our atten- tion to the next most important use to which it is applicable, namely, for propagation, (To be continued.) PLANTS IN OUR DWELLINGS—ARE THEY BENEFICIAL OR NOT? BY JOHN R. MOLLISON. \K' have here a very important question to consider, that ! is, whether it is beneficial, wholesome, or otherwise, to have flowers in our dwellings? I have heard it said by people who pretended to know, that you should not have flowers in your house at all, as it is greatly against the health of the inmates, because the noxious gases they give out have a baneful effect on the air, especially if they are in the sleeping apartments. I hope to be able to show you that such an idea is to a yreat extent chimerical. All plants absorb through their leaves carbonic acid gas from the air around them. Now this carbonic acid gas is composed of carbon and oxygen. During the hours of daylight the plant retains the varbon and releases the oxygen—giving it out to the air again. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 117 Now with us and all animal life this order of things is reversed, for we retain the oxygen and give out the carbon. Therefore, during the hours of daylight the oxygen without which we could not live is given out by the plants, while they retain the carbon which affords them nourishment, while it would kill us if we breathed it. During the day, however, dead leaves and diseased parts of plants and also the flowers give out a small portion of carbon, but it has no effect on the air if the plants are kept free of dead leaves and decaying parts; the great amount of leafage on a plant will absorb far more carbon than the blossoms can give out. Thus you see plants ina room during daylight are really a benefit instead of being otherwise, since they purify the air by absorbing and removing carbon, which is injurious to our health, giving out at the same time oxygen, which is a necessity of our life. So much cannot be said for them after daylight departs; then the order of things is reversed, for during the hours of darkness the plants absorb and retain oxygen and release and give out carbon to the air; this of necessity would be injurious to our health if there were no remedy or counteracting influence to nullify the bad effects. You can receive no harm from the carbon if you leave your bedroom window a little open during the night to cause a circulation of fresh air; the least bit will do. You should do this in any case during summer, for it is very bene- ficial to the health of the sleepers. Or if you place the plants on the floor the evil will be remedied to a great extent, for the carbon which is half as heavy as common air, will fall to the floor. But when we know that “ we breathe out but a small quantity of carbon during the hours of sleep as compared with the quantity exhaled during the day,” and that ‘‘ the quantity of carbon given out by the plants at the same time is not large,” the presence of plants in your bedroom at night can scarcely have any bad effect. I hope you understand this clearly. Itis a rather confusing statement of the case, but it proves that there need be no fears of any evil effects arising from haying plants in your rooms, either day or night. But there is one exception to the rule; it is known that the blossoms of plants give out more carbon than any other part, therefore hand or table bouquets should not stand in your room during the hours of sleep. Of course you can avoid this by having them put somewhere else till morning. There is another question of very great importance regarding having flowers in your room after daylight, that is, is it natural and healthy for the plants themselves? When night comes on and brings its season of rest to us, we never consider that our poor plants incline for rest too. All plants in the open air go to sleep, so to speak, when the hours of darkness set in. The air becomes several degrees colder, soothing their strained energies, and hushing them into their natural rest, which enables them to meet with renewed vigour the rays of burning sunshine when day returns. Now when night comes on we draw down the blinds, shut our doors and windows, stir up the fire and crowd around the cheerful hearth all unconscious that by keeping out the cold and raising the tempe- rature of the room several degrees we are keeping the poor plants April, “18 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. in a state of unhealthy excitement, keeping them feverishly awake when they should be at rest. Thus like ourselves when we get no rest during the day and no sleep during night, they grow weak and sickly, losing the fresh robust appearance they wore when we first made their acquaintance. Try, if possible, therefore, to give your plants cool dark quarters during the night, for on this greatly depends your success asa window gardener. Window gardening at best is plant growing under difficulties ; the more therefore you can assimilate their existence to the life of the same plants in their natural homes the more successful you will be. Gas has a most poisonous effect on plants in a room. In fact, no plant can live or thrive in a room where gas is burned. Then it is a necessity to remove them from the room during night, and place them where they will not breathe the poisonous gas. A passage or lobby is a very suitable place till morning, provided there is no danger of frost in the winter. Plants growing in a room require a good deal of shifting about. You should never allow yourself to consider this a trouble. The poor plants have life within them, and they appreciate in their own dumb way all attentive kindnesses bestowed on them; a lover of flowers will understand this plainly, who sees in his plants so many little beings depending upon him or her for their very existence. Be careful and kind to your plants and they will do their very best to please and reward you. ANNUALS ADAPTED FOR BEDDING. 5 pee following list of hardy summer and autumn flowering annuals is offered for the convenience of those whose time and limited means prevent their attention to the | general class of half-hardy and tender plants for effect, ~ ef masse, 11 flower gardens. The descriptions are in- tended to convey an idea of their average height, colour, and habit. A simple mode of managing these seeds is either to sow in drills, or otherwise broadcast over the entire bed, or border, and cover the seeds slightly with finely-sifted old tan, or friable loamy soil. Brancuine Larxsrur.—An ornamental late summer flowering annual, two to three feet high, of erect branching habit, with numerous racemes of variously shaded brilliant blue-coloured blossoms. Admirably adapted for grouping in shrubberies and plantations. CLADANTHUS ARABICUS.—A neat compact plant, from nine to twelve inches high, of a divaricately branching habit, with dark green, narrow-lobed leaves, richly contrasted with bright golden yellow, close- petalled, chrysanthemum-like flower, about one and a-quarter inch wide. Care Martcorp.—A dwarf compact annual, from nine to twelve inches high, bearing a profusion of snow-white single chrysanthemum- ee a —; --- ase THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 119 like close-lobed blossoms, one and a halfinch to two. inches in diameter. Currsantuemum Trrco.or.—A neat, branching, fleshy-stemmed plant, from twelve to sixteen inches high, with narrowly divided leaves, and a profusion of large, beautiful, clear white blossoms, two inches wide, ornamented with a yellow band towards the base, and picturesquely diversified by a rich olive-brown centre. CLARKIA ELEGANS ALBA.— An erect and compact branching annual from twelve to sixteen inches high, with comparatively small. foliage, and dense masses of elegantly lobed snow-white flowers, one and a quarter inch wide. CoLLINSIA HETBROPHYLLA.—An elegant dwarf compact species, of neat habit, with massive clustered racemes of white and purple flowers. CaLLICHROA PLATYGLOssA.—A slender stemmed annual, twelve inches high, with neat linear leaves, and conspicuously bright yellow, close petalled, chrysanthemum-like flowers, one and a half inch wide. CHRYSANTHEMUM CENTROsPERMUM.—A late summer and autumn- flowering species, two and a half to three and a half feet high, of erect branching habit, deeply toothed or lobed leaves, and numerous golden-yellow marigold-like blossoms, well adapted for effect in large borders. ConvOLVULUS MINOR ANTROPURPURBUS.—-A decumbent spreading plant, attaining from nine to twelve inches high, and ornamented with a profusion of large and conspicuously rich purple-blue ex- panded funnel-shaped blossoms, two inches wide. CrnocLossum LINIFoLIuM.—A remarkable compact plant, of erect dense growth, with grey or glaucous-white leaves, and studded towards the upper part with a profusion of snow-white circular, ribbed, salver-shaped blossoms. Erysimum Prrorrskranum.—A neat erect plant, reaching from twelve to sixteen inches high, with small, wallflower-like leaves, and numerous terminal open racemes of brilliant orange coloured blossoms. Evcuwarip1uM GRANDIFLORUM.—A very neat compact, branching plant, twelve inches high, with small ovate leaves, and numerous rose-coloured, Clarkia-like blossoms, one inch in diameter. Evroca viscipa.—A compact growing annual, of branching habit, rising from twelve to sixteen inches high, with notched heart- shaped blossoms, of a rich ultramarine blue tint. Escuscuoutz1a orocea.—A highly ornamental annual (or biennial) plant, from twelve to sixteen inches high, with narrow lobed glaucous leaves, and a profosion of large and brilliant orange- yellow poppy-like flowers, three and a-half inches in diameter. Evouarrp1uMm conciynum.—An erect cenothera-like plant, nine to twelve inches high, of neat habit, with small dark green leaves, and laden with deeply-lobed, bright rosy coloured clarkia-like flowers. Evroca Wraneerrana.—A low-growing species with decumbent stems, rising en masse, six to nine inches high, and covered with a profusion of bluish salver-shaped flowers in clusters; Gopntr Linpieyana.—aA late summer-flowering annual, eighteen April. 120 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. inches to two feet high, of neat habit, upright growth, medium sized foliage, and highly picturesque, and beautiful pale rosy-lilac, open cup-shaped blossoms, blending into a crimson centre. GoDETIA BIFRONS.—An ornamental erect growing plant, of neat habit, eighteen inches to two feet high, with medium sized leaves, and terminal racemes of large conspicuous rosy lilac, cup or salver- shaped flowers, two inches wide, picturesquely marked with bright pee Sie 2 cloud-like spots in the centre of the flower lobes or petals, GoDETIA RUBICUNDA.—An ornamental species, eighteen inches to two feet high, of neat, erect, branching habit, with medium sized leaves, and long terminal spikes of numerous large close-petalled, light pink, cup-shaped or salver-like blossoms, deepening into a conspicuous light crimson centre. Gitia NIvALIs.—A neat dwarf, slender annual, of branching habits, attaining from twelve to sixteen inches high, with light foliage, and numerous branching clusters of clear creamy white blossoms. HELIOPHILA ARABOIDES.—A prostrate spreading plant, with diverging shoots or stems, which are elegantly studded over with numerous close-petalled rich blue, compact salver-shaped blossoms, half an inch wide. HELICHRYSUM BRACTEATUM.—A neat, erect, branching, late- flowering plant, two to three feet high, with dark green willow- shaped leaves, and numerous terminal, conspicuous clusters of golden yellow “ everlasting flowers.” HELICHRYSUM MACRANTHUM.—Similar in habit to the preced- ing species, with green willow-shaped leaves, and terminal upper clusters of clear white “ everlasting flowers,’ elegantly suffused with rose or pink. This interesting plant, as well as the preceding, withstands the influence of the autumnal frosts. Hiziscus arricanus.—An upright, branching plant, growing from nine to eighteen inches high, with deeply-lobed or divided leaves, and remarkably large, close petalled, bright, sulphur-coloured hollyhock-like flowers, four to six inches wide, beautifully orna- mented with a rich and conspicuous dark velvet band towards the centre. IBERIS UMBELLATA RUBRA (Crimson Candytuft).— An erect growing variety, twelve inches high, with narrow lance-shaped leaves, and numerous terminal flattish umbels of rich reddish purple and crimson flowers. IpeRis coronarta and I. umBeLLaTA atBa (White Candytuft). —Rising twelve inches high, equally neat and compact in habit, with similar foliage, and profuse terminal branching stems, forming a dense mass of snow-white flower heads. KAULFUSSIA AMELLOIDES.—A dwarf species of neat habit, grow- ing from six to nine inches high, with narrow, strap-shaped leaves, and numerous bright, blue-petalled, daisy-like flowers. LasTHENIA CALIFORNICA—A compact plant, rising about twelve inches high, with narrow bright green leaves, and a profusion of conspicuous golden-yellow chrysanthemum-like flowers, three- quarters of an inch wide. ———— a 2 ae THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 121 LEPTOSIPHON DENSIFLORUS and L. anDROSACEUS.—Both remark- ably neat dwarf species, with narrow, dark green, needle or larch- like leaves, and furnished with numerous terminal clusters of variously shaded pale rosy, pink, and white-lobed, salver-shaped flowers, in July and August. Lupinus nanus.—An extremely pretty species, with small hand- shaped leaves, and numerous long terminal erect spikes of elegant blue and white pea-shaped flowers. Lurinvus CruicksHanku.—An extremely beautiful late summer and autumn-flowering species, two to three feet high, of neat erect branching growth, with smooth finger-lobed leaves and terminal ’ spikes or racemes of richly blended blue, white, and yellow pea- shaped flowers. Matore cGranpiFtora.—A_ highly-ornamental annual, two to three feet high, with obtusely-lobed mallow-like leaves, and nume- rous remarkably large, and beautiful rich crimson salver-shaped flowers, four to six inches wide. NEMOPHILA INSIGNIS GRANDIFLORA.—A very beautiful trailing variety, with comparatively light foliage, and studded over with thousands of bright azure-blue, salver-shaped flowers, three-quarters of an inch broad. New Goipren CurysANtHEMUM.—