No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 469 



an excellent plant for the house, but do best in a room not too warm, 

 say as low as 45 degrees at night. In a window in a room on the nortn 

 side of the house I have known individual flowers to last in good 

 shape for six weeks. This plant, like all others for home adornment, 

 must never be allowed to become dry. It is the safest way to water 

 them at least once a day. There are more plants killed by neglect 

 in watering than all other causes combined. 



Azalea plants in bloom also continue to be popular. The colored 

 varieties, as red or pink and mottled for Christmas, and the white 

 ones for Easter. 



For the Christmas holidays the Poinsettia continues to be the most 

 popular plant grown for its brilliant red bracts (surrounding the 

 dower), being so bright and cheerful. Botanically it is now classified 

 with Euphorbia. Euphorbia Poinsettia is the name now given, but 

 to the gardener and flower grower it will ever be called the ''Poin- 

 settia." This is a native of Mexico. It is very accommodating and 

 lends itself to more than one method of treatment. It may be grown 

 on stems from three to six feet long, crowned with a cluster of its 

 bright red "leaves'' on top; or by putting cuttings or slips in the 

 propagating bed in July and August plants from six inches to a foot 

 high may be had in bloom for Christmas. The tall ones are generally 

 used for cutting and the latter as pot plants. 



Another flowering plant similar in character, also blooming at 

 Christmas, is what is known among the fraternity as Euphorbia 

 Jaquinuaeflora, but now the botanists pronounced that name to be 

 wrong and should be fulgens, not such a formidable looking name 

 assuredly and much easier pronounced, but the old florist and garden- 

 ers will continue to call it by tbe first name given for many years to 

 come. The flowers of the Euphorbia just referred to are much 

 smaller, but more numerous than the Poinsettia, and are studded 

 quite thickly along the gracefully arching branches, and have a dash 

 of yellow in their coloring which gives them a brilliant orange tint 

 approaching scarlet. 



The brilliant shades of red in the Chinese Primrose are as popular 

 as ever. It is easily grown from seed and is a satisfactory flowering 

 plant for the windows in the cool rooms of the house, but the tem- 

 perature of said room should never be allowed to go below 45 degrees. 



Palms are always in demand. The "Rubber Plant" (Ficus elastica) 

 is not as popular as it was a few years ago, though still one of the 

 very best plants for the house. 



The so-called Boston Fern increases in popularity. It is so easily 

 grown and gives such general satisfaction that its present popularity 

 is well earned. By selection and cultivation quite a number of 

 varieties may now be had of this fern. The one called Scottii still 

 holds its own, being a dwarf and of a more campact form of growth 

 than the older variety. There are some with the fronds, of much 

 larger proportions than the "Boston," being very much divided, 

 resembling somewhat an ostrich plume. This is called Elegantissima. 

 The other new varieties are similar to the last named, but each varies 

 somewhat in some one particular. A competition has been arranged 

 to take place at Horticultural Hall, Broad Street, Philadelphia, 

 during tbe Chrysanthemum Show next November, where all the 

 varieties of the Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) may be brought 

 together so that the judges may pass upon them and say which they 



