THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 159 



in colour, may be grown for this purpose. There is just nothing in it beyond this, 

 that the phmts are all grown in pots, and are brought forward V/hen at their best, 

 and removed when their best is over. 



Sub-tropical Plants. — P. B. — Mr. Prosper has treated of all the palms that are 

 adapted for outdoor decoration only two months since. Last year there were several 

 articles upon these plants. Look throuah the numbers for January, February, March, 

 and April, 1867, and you may find all you want. The " Gardener's Gazette" we 

 know nothing of. 



EucHAKis >vMAzoxicA.— i. B. B. — In the Flobal World for May, 1866, is a 

 paper by Mr. Howard, who exhibited the gigantic specimens at the International 

 Exhibition, and who is known to be the ablest cultivator of this plant in England. 

 You will find, by perusing that paper, that Mr. Howard never allows the plants to 

 rest, but shifts them on and on, and gives rich soil and abundance of water. To dry 

 it off is to risk killing it entirely. 



RnYNCospERMUM Jasmixoides.— i. -5. i?.— Your plant would certainly thrive 

 in a border at the back of a cool greenhouse ; indeed, there is scarcely a better place 

 for it. Your gardener's proposal to " dry it off," is equivalent to treating a tree like 

 a potato, for this plant is a tree, though of the climbing or trailing sort, and needs 

 the ordinary treatment of nearly hardy hard-wooded plants. 



Hard "\Yooded Plants. — G. A. G. asks if heaths, epacrises, and acacias are cut 

 below where they were pruned to last year will they shoot out again ? Well, perhaps 

 they may, and perhaps not. Sometimes when hard-wooded plants are so severely 

 pruned tliey die instead of shooting, and sometimes they shoot very freely. We found 

 in our garden last year a lot of once fine plants of Cytisus, Coronilla, Epacris, etc., that 

 had been humbugg'^ed, and their shape and beauty were gone. We cut them down very 

 low indeed, and after that almost forgot them, but they are now fine plants, for they 

 gi-ew freely after th.e severe pruning. G. A. G. must take the risk if desiring to 

 prune beloiv last year's pruning, which we should call very bad practice, unless there 

 is a special reason for it. Probably the black soil sparkling with sand may do 

 instead of peat for hard- wooded plants, but we cannot pronounce on the properties ot 

 a soil that we have not seen. The only way to try it is first to gi'ow a few plants 

 in it for a year and judge by their behaviour. 



ScoRzoNERA.— ^. M. will find in the Floral World of April, 1867, a chapter 

 on Salsify. Scorzonera is grown in the same way, and if the seed is sown now it 

 will have time to make a good root. 



ArcuBA Berries. — C. J. — When a few berries only are to be dealt with, it is best 

 to sow in pots, pans, or boxes. Any light soil will do ; cover an inch deep and keep 

 the soil moist. Artificial heat is not necessary, but when the plants appear, guard 

 them against fierce sunshine. The seeds are ripe now and may be sown directly. 



General Index,— J". U. S. — We do not contemplate publishing any general 

 index, the expense would be considerable and we should probably sell very few ; 

 there are not many who appreciate such things. 



Selections of Plants, -etc.— TV. B. Sihley. — You seem not to be aware that 

 in the " Garden Oracle" we publish every year lists of the best varieties of all the 

 popular flowers, those lists being prepared "from notes made during visits to gardens 

 and exhibitions, and our own collections during the preceding summer. To the 

 best of our ability we keep the readers of the Floral World informed on these 

 matters, but in the "Oracle" the whole affair is dealt with at the commencement of the 

 year, to render buyers of plants axhfait as to the several advances in their favourites. 

 The preparation o'f such lists is a much more severe task than you suppose, especially' 

 when we come to the best twelve or best six in a class comprising hundreds or 

 thousands of things. It needs not only knowledge and taste to discriminate, but 

 also opportunity. Unless v/e attended all the exhibitions and visited all the good 

 gardens, it would be impossible to do anything like justice to this department ; yet 

 we trust justice is done to it, and so say thousands of amateurs Avho make the 

 *' Oracle " their familiar book of reference. 



Various. — Mrs. D. — The pretty plant, of which you send a drawing, is Tricho- 

 nema columna-, a rare British plant, flowering in March and April, well adapted 

 for the garden, and thriving on a sandy soil. — W. Wilson. — Mr. Walsh will give 

 us figures of auricula frames shortly. If you want a small collection of good 

 varieties, and are afraid of incurring greater expense than you can afford, write to 

 Mr. Turner, of Slough, for as many as you want, and name the price, leaving the 



