194 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



in its place by driviuc; tlie peg or splinter through it obliquely. The 

 leaves inust be kept in a warm place, and be carefully managed iu 

 respect of watering, for if wet and cold they will rot, if hot and dry 

 they will shrivel. To propagate from leaves requires a little practice, 

 but watchfulness is more needed in the business than any particular 

 degree of skill. Most of the sorts produce plenty of seed, which 

 should be sown as soon as ripe, and treated the same as seed of 

 Chinese primulas. Generally speaking, the amateur will be able to 

 make stock fast enough by cuttings and divisions, and it happens 

 that the sorts most in request may be multiplied to any extent with 

 the greatest ease by these methods. 



A few notes on the principal species and varieties may be useful 

 to the "reader, and perhaps the best way to arrange them will be 

 alphabetically. 



Agayoides is a fine greenhouse plant, growing- like an agave, the 

 colour a fine glaucous green. Pirst-rate as a pob plant, and suited 

 for the centre of a shell or carpet bed. If exposed to drip in winter 

 it will be seriously damaged. 



Ateopubpurea. is a curious dark-leaved plant, not much to be 

 desired, but quite proper to a selection. In our fern-house it grows 

 with tremendous vigour, and sends up huge flower-spikes that are 

 fantastic enough, but have no beauty. 



Glauca is the best of all for bedding, and well known for its 

 distinct and beautiful blue -tinted leafage. If a stock is to be raised 

 provision must be made for wintering the plants where they will be 

 safe from frost and drip. We have made good use of this plant in 

 this way. We procured some large rustic pots. In each of these 

 we placed a common empty flower-pot, inverted so as to make a 

 great cavity for perfect drainage. The remaining space was filled 

 with compost, and a few tufts of the plant put in. These soon 

 spread and filled the space allotted to them, and thus they remained 

 three years, presenting large rounded masses of glaucous vegetation, 

 and flowering all the summer most profusely. 



LiiTGUiEroLiA is not a good one. 



Maceophtlea is fine and distinct, and makes a good pot plant. 



Metallica is a strikingly grand plant, with large fleshy leaves 

 of a curious metallic grey colour. It is easy enough to manage if 

 kept rather warm all the winter and quite safe from drip, but damp 

 and cold it will not endure. AVe lost many in the early daj^s of its 

 introduction through wintering them with geraniums, and we soon 

 found that they could not stand the degree of cold and damp that 

 geraniums fight through in the winter. This noble plant should be 

 managed precisely as recommended for retusa, and then it will flower 

 finely in the spring. Although metallica is here classed as a species 

 for convenience sake, it should be understood that it is a variety of 

 E. gihhi flora. 



E,etusa is certainly the finest of all the kinds that are suitable 

 for greenhouse and conservatory decoration, as it produces a profu- 

 sion of brilliant red and orange flowers from October to May. To 

 make fine plants, they should be potted into rather large pots in 

 March, and kept rather wai'm. At the end of May put them out on 



