May 12, 1906 



HORTICULTURE 



6K. 



Improved types of Cineraria 

 grandiflora 



The evolution of modern florists' flowers has in no 

 ease been more strongly marked than in the cineraria 

 family. The small-flowered senecio was the original 

 prototype and from this iw have a graduated advance 

 up to the latest, star-shaped cactus forms. The cin- 

 eraria enjoyed a wider popularity in the last decade 

 than now; the inexorable law of ''the survival of the 

 fittest'' placed it in the rear in an unprecedented era of 

 novelties. The advent of the stellata type, so free ami 

 useful for cutting, and the latest acquisitions of Messrs 

 Sutton of England are tending to a revival with these 

 one-time favorite plants. The objections of straggling 

 foliage — requiring so much valuable room in winter — 

 also a general uniformity of color, purples predominat- 

 ing, have been removed by the introduction of plants of 

 close, compact habit, with beautiful shades of pink ami 

 pure white flowers, many with cactus form and quilled 

 petals; they are now in every way worth the attention 

 of the commercial florist and private gardener. These 

 ecu types are of very floriferous character as may lie 

 seen from the illustration, every axil down to the base 

 contributing its cluster, in many cases completely hid- 

 ing the foliage. If the plants are kept m cool airy 

 quarters flowers may be had from Christmas to May: 

 the centre cluster usually fading first another may be 

 drawn into the vacant place and the whole plant will 

 look perfect again. 



Seed may he sown the 2nd week in July; when large 

 enough to handle prick off into boxes or pans, then later 

 into 3-ineh pots, keeping them going in not less than 

 CO degrees at night, also keeping them well up to the 

 light. They will need a shift into 5-inch pots in Sep- 

 tember using ordinary soil, not too rich, at this stage 

 and in November they may be transferred into 7-inch 

 pots for flowering, using a mixture of good turfy loam, 

 leaf mould, a little dried cow dung and sand, with a 

 good sprinkling of rough bones. A good plan is to put 

 a layer of rough bones over the crocks, the roots finding- 

 tins in mellowed condition at the important period when 

 the flower buds are forming. Incidentally, this method 



of late feeding might well be applied with advantage 

 to all soft wooded plants of this character; if too rich 

 soil is given in the early stages, the wood-fibres ripen 

 too quickly, thus running into flower before a good sub- 

 stantial growth has been secured. The indiscriminate 

 use of fertilizers is responsible for many failures with 

 what is naturally easily-grown stock. 



Cinerarias to be done well should have a house to 

 themselves. Cool, airy quarters with a temperature of 

 not less than 40 degrees at night will ensure dwarf 

 steady growth. They should be kept well up to the 

 light and turned around weekly, keeping a sharp look- 

 out for aphis; a good plan where outside conditions 

 permit is to have bottom ventilators put in near the 

 pipes, leaving them open night and day, even with a 

 few degrees of frost, balancing matters by keeping heat 

 well on at night and checking in the morning, thus 

 maintaining always a fresh buoyant atmosphere, so abso- 

 lutely necessary for cinerarias and all plants of like 

 character, if dwarf, sturdy, growth is to lie secured dur- 



ing tin' winter months. 



Sdx^oX M; 



t>vj»jk_ 



Pseudo-bulbless Oncidiums 



These interesting and easily cultivated plants, gen- 

 erally considered scarcely worthy of cultivation, 

 require only to be better known to receive the recogni- 

 tion they deserve. They are mostly natives of Central 

 and South America, have thick, leathery foliage, which 

 it may easily be supposed, performs all the functions of 

 pseudo-bulbs. The flowers are borne on long branch- 

 ing panicles someti s four and five feet long. 



The most popular of this class of oneidium is 0. 

 Cavendishianum, and a well-flowered plant of this 

 species is a sight to lie remembered. The species is 

 variable but the flowers are generally yellow with rich 

 brown spots on the sepals ami petals; the lip is bright 

 vellow. The size, color, fragrance and texture of the 

 flower,-, combined with their keeping qualities, make 

 this a valuable horticultural species. 



0. luridum is also a vigorous and useful species, but 

 the (lowers have not the texture of Cavindishianum and 

 are more transitory. 



( ). bicallosum, < •. Lanceanum and 0. Carthaginense 

 are each worthy of a place. The latter has small, obse- 

 lete pseudo-bulbs but has the thick fleshy leaves of the 

 (dass. They all enjoy a warm, very moist atmosphere, 

 and should be grown in baskets in pure fern-root as 

 they are very free-rooting and resent anything approach- 

 ing stagnation in the rooting medium. In a hot, moist 

 house they will make enormous quantities of serial roots 

 without which the plants are seldom luxuriant. 



Thev are all sensitive to strong sunlight and should 

 have shade nearly all the year. 



