1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



359 



It is a good season to watch for coming troubles. 

 As soon as the slightest thing seems wrong, 

 search at once for the cause of the trouble. 

 They are often but small, and easily remedied at 

 the outset. 



There is not much requiring special care in the 

 greenhouse. The Camellia is very apt to drop its 

 buds if the atmosphere is too dry ; but generally 

 dropping follows any check to the roots by which 

 the regular flow of moisture to the bud is stopped. 

 This may be either too little or too much water; 

 if too little, of course there is not enough moist- 

 ure ; if too much, the fibers are liable to have their 

 points injured, and thus are unable to di'aw 

 moisture to the bud. Usually the last bad re- 

 sults follow from over potting. With a large 

 mass of soil, water is apt to not pass readily 

 away, when the soil " sours," as it is termed. A. 

 pot full of roots Avill seldom drop the Camellia 

 buds for any other cause than too little water. 



A great enemy of the Camellia is the Red Spi- 

 der. The leaves indicate its presence generally 

 by a brown tinge, when the pocket lens, which 

 every gardener of course carries, readily detects. 

 All plants are more or less liable to these insects, 

 as well as the green fly, mealy bug. and scale. 

 The best way to keep them down is by a free use 

 of the syringe in fine days, using water in which 

 some sulphur has been strewn. Tobacco smoke 

 is still the best cure for aphis. Scale is a very 

 troublesome pest ; water heated to 130° is still 

 the best. This injures very tender leaves, but 

 the scale is rarely on such, it usually keeps to the 

 branches or in thick leathery leaves. 



Tree Carnations, — these are now indispensa- 

 ble winter flowering plants, want a very light 

 place to do well. They do not generally care 

 about very large pots— about five or six inches — 

 but they are very much benefited by rich ma- 

 nure water. 



The Calla Lily is now extremely popular. 

 This also loves light. It must have a good sup- 

 ply of water, and good soil to flower well. 



Towards Spring the Cineraria comes in re- 

 markably well for cutting. This is a " queer " 

 plant. It is one of the easiest to suff'er from 

 frost, and yet will not do well in high tempera- 

 ture. It also requires much light, and to be 

 very near the glass. So also of the Pansy and 

 Violet, although some frost will not hurt these. 



If Pelargoniums are wanted to flower well next 

 May and June, they should be attended to, and 

 grow well through the winter. They want a 

 rather warm house to keep them growing, and 



should be pinched back as they grow, to keep 

 them bushy. 



A good supply of young Fuchsias should be 

 coming on now ; re-pot as their roots fill each 

 pot, let them not want moisture or light; do 

 not pinch off" their tops, but let them grow rap- 

 idly. The temperature in which they are grown 

 should not exceed 55°. A turfy loam, moder- 

 ately enriched with well decayed manure, and 

 well drained with charcoal, suits them admir- 

 ably. 



GOMMUNICA TIONS. 



PROPAGATION OF RICHARDIA /tTHIOPICA— 

 THE CALLA LILY. 



BY W. M. MARSH-\LL, MOBILE, ALA. 



Seeing an article in your last edition on the 

 propagation of Callas, I thought I would let you 

 know of my success. I had but one Richardia 

 maculata last year ; it bloomed and produced 

 seed, a few of which I planted this Spring, having 

 first soaked them in boiling water. Twenty 

 came up, and I planted them in a shady, damp 

 spot. They are all doing beautifully, and have 

 produced such large bulbs that I think they will 

 bloom next Spring. This is a much faster way 

 of propagating them than that which you gave. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Price of Flowers in America. — We are con- 

 tinually reading the most astounding things of 

 American habits, customs and things, in Euro- 

 pean palmers, and as none of us can see the beams 

 in our own eyes, wonder whether American pa- 

 pers are as inaccurate when treating of things 

 European. Here is Mr. H. J. Van Hulle, in 

 U Horticulture Beige, who says the Ajnerican cares 

 very little for growing plants, which, as com- 

 pared with European taste, we may pass as not 

 far wrong. Then, he says, they have an intense 

 passion for cut flowers, and arranging them irx 

 some fashion or another. He names Philadel- 

 phia, New York, Boston and Washington, in 

 which this extravagant taste was found to exist. 

 $5,000 was paid at the marriage of a rich heiress 

 for bouquets and other floral decorations. To- 

 wards Christmas and New Year's the cut flower 

 trade reaches its height [atteint son apogee). The 



