30 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
be mentioned salvias, lobelias, alyssum, candy-tuft, ger- 
aniums, nasturtiums, ete., as well as many foliage plants. 
SPECIAL POINTS IN THE CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS 
Owing to the varied requirements of different plants, it 
is quite impossible to give accurate directions covering even 
approximately all cases. A few points, however, such as 
repotting, resting period, and cutting-back should be men- 
tioned, as failure to take these into account frequently leads 
to unsatisfactory results, or, in some cases, even failure. 
Resting Period.—Many plants used in the house, espe- 
cially bulbous and tuberous-rooted plants, require a period of 
rest following the growing season. Such plants, e.g., tulips, 
eallas, hyacinths, narcissus, lilies, etc., following the flower- 
ing period should be given the most favorable growing con- 
ditions in order to afford the plants an opportunity to 
replenish the food materials in the bulbs which were utilized 
during the flowering period. Following this, the water 
dats be withheld and the bulbs allowed to dry and “ripen.” 
Bulbs treated in this way and prevented from shriveling by 
placement in sand in a cool, dry place, can be used for flower- 
ing purposes the following season. Not alone bulbous plants, 
however, are benefited by such a rest period, but practically 
all perennial flowering plants whose growth is discontinuous, 
i. e., those which show a cessation of growth following flower 
and seed production. Careful observation will readily enable 
one to determine whether plants should be given a rest 
period or not. Practically all bulbous plants, as well as tuber — 
begonias, gloxinias, poinsettias, and many others are greatly 
benefited by a rest period. In order to bring the plants 
back into active growth, it is only necessary to supply them 
with sufficient water; ordinarily it is desirable to repot in 
fresh soil at the beginning of the new growing season. 
Cutting Back.—House-grown plants tend to grow slender 
and weak because of the usually inadequate and unequally 
distributed light. By penn back some of the a 
shoots, new growths will usually start from below and ten 
to produce a bushier and sturdier plant. It is precisely in 
this way that growers obtain stocky pot-grown plants, as 
illustrated by sna me begonias, etc. On the other 
hand, the removal of all side shoots and buds tends to make 
the main axis 7 strong and the remaining flower buds 
of greater size and better shape, a procedure the results of 
which are admirably illustrated in the long-stemmed, single- 
flowered chrysanthemums. The method of cutting-back to 
be used, therefore, depends largely upon the nature of the 
plants and the effect and results susie. The cutting-back 
