Under favourable circumstances, from seven to nine days will suffice to bring the seedlings up in force, and very few will appear afterwards.  When they are through the soil remove the sheet of glass, and give them prompt attention, or they will rapidly damp off.  Immediately the second leaf appears, tiny as the plants may be and difficult to handle, commence pricking them off into other pots prepared to receive them, for it is unsafe to wait until they become strong.  Allow about two inches between the plants.  The occupants of each pan may generally be pricked off in about three operations, and there should be only the shortest possible intervals between.

With many subjects it is a safe rule to use the robust seedlings and throw the weakly ones away.  This practice will not do in the case of Calceolarias, or some of the most charming colours that can grace the conservatory or greenhouse will be lost.  The strongest seedlings generally produce flowers in which yellow largely predominates, a fact that can easily be verified by keeping the plants under different numbers.  But it must not be inferred that because the remainder are somewhat weaker at the outset they will not eventually make robust plants.

Freely mix silver sand with the potting mould, and raise the surface higher in the centre than at the edge of the pot.  From the first appearance of the seedlings shading is of the utmost importance, for even a brief period of direct sunshine will certainly prove destructive.  Do not allow the plants to become dry for a moment, but give frequent gentle sprinklings of water, and rain-water is preferable.  As the soil hardens, stir the surface with a pointed stick, not too deep, and give water a few hours after.  About a month of this treatment should find each plant in the possession of four or five leaves.  Then prepare thumb pots with small crocks, cover the crocks with clean moss and fill with rich porous soil.  To these transfer the plants with extreme care, lifting each one with as much soil adhering to the roots as a skilful hand can make them carry.  Place them in a frame, or in the sheltered part of a greenhouse, quite free from dripping water.  Always give air on suitable days, and on the leeward side of the house.

Keep a sharp look-out for aphis, to the attacks of which Calceolarias are peculiarly liable.  Fumigation is the best remedy, and it should be undertaken in the evening; a still atmosphere renders the operation more certain.  Water carefully on the following morning, and shade from the sun.

By September the plants should be in large 60-pots, and it is then quite time to begin the preparation for wintering.  Some growers put them in heat, and are successful, but the heat must be very moderate, and even then we regard the practice as dangerous.  Place the plants near the glass, and at one end of the house where they will obtain plenty of side light, as well as light from above.  During severe frosts it may be well to draw them back or remove them to a shelf lower down and towards the centre of the house, but they must be restored as soon as possible to the fullest light obtainable, as they have to do all their growth under glass.  The more air that can safely be given, the better, and dispense with fire-heat if a temperature of 45 deg. to 55 deg. can be maintained without it.