As a winter and early spring-blooming plant, the Cineraria deserves special attention; for when properly treated it never fails to attract and to excite pleasure in the mind of every lover of flowers by the brilliancy of its colors, profusion of bloom, and extensive variety, which, with the simplicity of its culture, ought to be sufficient inducement for every one possessing the means of keeping plants, to cultivate them. Many gardeners will no doubt consider anything which may be said on the culture of Cinerarias as hackneyed, but to amateurs these remarks may prove interesting.

Save seed from the most distinctly marked and best colored plants of neat habit. The best means of attaining this object is to allow the plants to remain in the greenhouse, to perfect their seed; to this end the plants should be shaded from intense sun, and the seed should be gathered in two or three days after the petals decay. The plants are then almost worthless, and may be thrown away, except some unusually fine variety, which you may wish to perpetuate; old plants, however, never make 6uch vigorous growth as those grown anew from seed.

Sow the seed early in September, in a bed of light sandy loam, in a shady situation, and protect the plants from extreme moisture. When they attain a size so as to be easily handled, pot them off into three-inch pots in a compost of leaf mould and sand, and remove to a cold frame in a shady situation, protected from extreme heat, cold, or moisture, until the roots begin to show at the bottom of the pots, when they should be immediately repotted into six-inch pots, using a small portion of loam and decayed hotbed manure in the compost, and removed near the glass. This is one of the important things in growing Cinerarias. In about four weeks, if properly attended to, they will need their last repotting in pots of at least 10 inches diameter; compost the same as at the second repotting. As they progress they should be frequently syringed, and watered with guano in solution. If it is necessary to fumigate with tobacco, it should be applied weak, otherwise there is danger of injuring the leaves, which to preserve well is one of the chief objects. The temperature may attain to 70 degrees and be of benefit if the atmosphere is humid.

In raising Cinerarias, one desirable object is to prevent them from being drawn, which will be the case if not kept near the glass, and frequently turned to keep them in proper shape. By these means you will have fine plants sufficient to sustain themselves without a number of sticks, which spoil their appearance.

[We arc obliged to Mr. Egan for his sensible remarks on the Cineraria. It is just such practical articles that we most need, and we shall be glad to hear from him often. - Ed].