142 THE FLORIST. 



the plants, should all be spotless ; not a particle of dirt should lurk 

 any where, and care should also be taken to keep a free circulation 

 of air, to remove all damps, and to keep the atmosphere of the house 

 a little drier and a few degrees -warmer than is usual. A watering 

 or two with lime-water will also exercise a beneficial influence by- 

 destroying insects in the soil, and aiding in the decomposition of 

 extraneous vegetable substances. If the disease appear in the spring, 

 apply these remedies, and pot the plants into fresh pots directly 

 healthy root -action is induced; but if in the summer or autumn, 

 ripen the wood, cut the plants down, and shake the plants out and 

 wash the roots as soon as they are sufficiently broken to allow of 

 their being served so. Then give a little warmth ; but of all things 

 avoid a confined and damp atmosphere, and healthy action may 

 possibly be induced ; but, as I have remarked before, this disease is 

 in some varieties a constitutional and family ailment, which, though it 

 may be prevented by good treatment, will manifest itself again directly 

 the plants receive a check, or unhealthy root-action is induced. 



I have thus strung my " notions" together; and though I may 

 think more than I have stated in this hurried sketch, I still hope I 

 have done sufficient to induce discussion ; and if yourself, Mr. Hoyle, 

 Mr. Beck, and some more of our friends, will favour us with their 

 ideas upon the subject, I have no doubt something instructive and 

 interesting will be imparted. Wm. P. Ayres. 



Br ooklands Nursery, Blackheath. 



PLEROMA ELEGANS. 



The bright- green glossy foliage of this beautiful plant, when in 

 vigorous health, is in itself a sufiicient recommendation for its culti- 

 vation ; and when to this is added its fine purple violet flowers, which 

 are produced in profusion, it must be considered one of the most 

 ornamental of shrubs. Bearing some resemblance to the Lisianthus 

 in the formation of its flowers, and being nearly equal to that fine 

 plant in the duration of its bloom, it possesses the advantage of more 

 attractive colour, and the plant itself is more easily cultivated. As a 

 decorative object for the greenhouse or conservatory during summer, 

 it is highly deserving of extensive cultivation, as, with a few plants 

 for succession, the bloom may be prolonged for a considerable period. 

 In selecting plants at this season, care should be taken to obtain 

 young healthy stock, well-established and in a free-growing state; 

 young plants which have been pot-bound or are otherwise unhealthy 

 should be discarded, as such seldom make good specimens. If ob- 

 tained now from the nursery, they should be placed for a few days 

 in a close house or pit to recover the effects of removal. If well 

 rooted, a shift may then be given into pots two sizes larger than 

 those they were taken from ; a close atmosphere, with a tempera- 

 ture of 55°, will assist them in making a vigorous growth. During 

 sunny days shading will be necessary, for the young foliage is liable 

 to scorch if exposed to bright sunshine. As the plants become well 



