Cyclamen

This plant is an old favorite. It is neither a bulb nor a tuber, but is a corm, very much like the Gladiolus. Its flowers range from almost pure white to pink, with tips and markings of rich violet and crimson. In form they are very peculiar, their petals being oddly twisted and reflexed. Strong plants will give a wonderful profusion of flowers throughout the winter. They succeed in rooms where many other flowers fail to grow, and, on this account, are favorites for winter use. If plants are procured in spring, pot them in a rich loam. Do not cover the corm-simply press it down into the soil. Encourage vigorous development the first season, by frequent applications of fertilizer. Flowering ought to begin about the holidays. It will continue, as a general thing, until May. Then set the plant away in a cool place, and withhold water, forcing it to remain nearly dormant during the summer. In September, give more water, and weak applications of fertilizer after growth is renewed. The strength of these applications should be increased somewhat when buds appear.

Of late the florists have succeeded in producing varieties with extremely large flowers of rich and varied coloring. The new strains are much superior to the old.