Copyright, 1899, by 

 FLORISTS' PUBLISHING GO., 520-535 Gaxton Building. OHICflGO. 



Vol. IV. 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 2 J, 1899. 



No. 95. 



CYCAS. 



LFrom the Florists' Manual by Win. Scott.] 

 There is one species of this hand- 

 some palm-like plant that is known to 

 all florists, the C. revoluta. It is not 

 only one of the finest of our decora- 

 tive plants, hut its handsome leaves 

 are largely used simply tied together 

 or with the additicn of roses, etc., for 



The cycas is quite a tough plant. I 

 mean by that that it withstands a good 

 deal of rough usage. I have seen it do 

 well the year round in a light room 

 where gas was used, and if you have 

 no better place it will thrive in a tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees all winter, but 

 that is not the way to produce fine 

 leaves. It will burn under the focus of 



Cycas Revoluta. 



funeral designs. Cycas leaves of all 

 sizes and perfect in outline and color 

 are now imported either from China or 

 climes where this plant grows freely 

 out of doors the year round. Although 

 they are beautifully preserved and put 

 into fine artistic forms, they are not 

 quite the thing with all our customers 

 and do not entirely take the place o" 

 the home grown, naturally colored 

 leaves. 



glass, but will stand out of doors un- 

 harmed in the broadest and hottest 

 suns if plentifully supplied with wa- 

 ter. It makes a grand specimen for a 

 lawn during the summer months. 



They should not have a larger pot 

 or tub than is necessary, but must 

 have a shift every two years if they 

 are making a strong growth. The soil 

 should be a strong turfy loam, light- 

 ened up with leaf-mould and sand, or 



a fifth or sixth of well rotted cow ma- 

 nure. In the spring if you have no 

 occasion to shift them give them a 

 mulch of not over decayed manure. 

 When in good health they will always 

 make one whorl of leaves every spring. 

 If water passes freely through the soil 

 you cannot very well overwater them, 

 and they like syringing at all times. 



Their greatest enemy is the brown 

 scale, and to remove this (or rather 

 prevent it) they must be sponged with 

 the kerosene emulsion. Mealy bug 

 will attack them, but there is no ex- 

 cuse for that, as the hose should keep 

 them down. A temperature of 60 de- 

 grees will do very well in winter and 

 as hot as you like in spring and sum- 

 mer. When cutting the leaves for use 

 never cut very close to the stem; leave 

 three inches of the stem of the leaf on 

 the main trunk. 



There is no need of discussing the 

 method of propagation of the cycas, 

 as the young plants or stems in a 

 dormant state are now imported by 

 the ton and sold by weight. When 

 first received they should be put into 

 pots not much larger than the diame- 

 ter of stem and plunged into bottom 

 heat. They will in course of time 

 throw out a small whorl of leaves, but 

 their root action is slow. At this stage 

 they are easily hurt, and although not 

 wanting bottom heat after a few 

 months, the plants should not be put 

 out of doors or used for decoration, or 

 by any means sold to a customer till 

 they have made a good growth of 

 roots, which will be two years from 

 the time they are started. 



We often get an old cycas on our 

 hands that has been abused and lost 

 its leaves. By shaking off the soil and 

 potting in small pots and treating as 

 you do the imported stems you will in 

 time get a good plant. 



C. revoluta is by far the most valu- 

 able to the florist for all purposes. Of 

 the other species for private collec- 

 tions, media and circinalis are fine 

 plants. 



