360 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[December, 



know that drainage is not necessary ; I answer, 

 by experience. I do not mean to say that a 

 plant will not do well if it is drained, but I do 

 mean to say that it will do just as well if it is not 

 drained. I have tested it thoroughly, and I find 

 that plants do just as well, if not better, without 

 drainage. Again, I hear some one say that per- 

 haps plants can be grown in the sandy soil of the 

 East without the use of drainage, but drainage 

 must be used for our loamy soil of the prairie ! 

 but I answer not sOj for I have tried them both, 

 and I find that by a sufRcent use of sand in the 

 potting soil which should consist of rotted sod 

 from the pasture or road-side, and rotted refuse 

 hops from the brewery, about two-thirds of the 

 former and one-third of the latter, with a suffi- 

 cient quantity of sand to make the soil porous, 

 that no drainage is necessary. If my friends will 

 try my plan of growing plants without the use 

 of those old fogy crocks, and be careful not to 

 use too much water, I am perfectly confident 

 that they will have as good, if not better success 

 with their Flora's Pets. Please give it a fair 

 trial at least. 



CROTON CULTURE. 



BY MANSFIELD MILTON, CLEVELAND, OHIO. 



This genus of plants comprises some of the 

 finest ornamental leaved plants in cultivation. 

 Of late years from the South Sea Islands have 

 been introduced some of the best species, some 

 of which are not only attractive in the coloring 

 of their leaves, but in the peculiar shape of them. 

 In the collections of Messrs. Vcitch and Mr. Bull, 

 London, England, I saw, this last spring, some 

 exquisite species of but very recent introduction, 

 some of them surpassing anything hitherto in- 

 troduced, as being decidedly distinct in general 

 appearance, and especially in the shapes of the 

 leaves. 



Crotons are easily managed if sufficient mois- 

 ture and heat be given them during their season 

 of growth. If grown in too ^rx an atmosphere, 

 they soon get covered with red spider, which 

 soon discolors the leaves and destroys the vitality 

 of the plant. A soil composed of turfy loam and 

 peat with a good mixture of sand is the most 

 suitable. As they require a good supply of water 

 during their growing season, perfect drainage 

 is indispensable to insure the water passing freely 

 through the soil, nothing being more injurious 

 for the welfare of the plant than stagnant water 

 around the roots. 



The species being so numerous I shall men- 

 tion only such as are well worth growing even in 

 a small collection. Not but most all kinds are 

 worth growing, but some are more distinct and 

 more easily managed than others. 



C. angustifolium. — A narrow-leaved species from 

 the East Indies ; the leaves are long, drooping, 

 of a bright yellow color and very attractive. 



C. aucuhsefolium. — The* leaves of this one are 

 short and broad, of a bright green mottled with 

 yellow, having a pinkish tinge on the mid-rib 

 and veins. Its compact habit gives it a distinct 

 appearance from most of the others. 



C. grande. — This beautiful species is from the 

 South Sea Islands ; the leaves are about 8 inches 

 long and 3 inches wide, of a deep green color, 

 spotted with yellow, the mid-rib being also 

 yellow. 



C. Hillianum. — An exquisite species of compact 

 habit; the leaves being dark green the veins 

 bright crimson on the upper side ; on the under 

 side they are of a dark red color. It is well 

 adapted for decorative purposes, where such 

 compact plants are required. 



C. interruption. — A species assuming often on 

 the same plant very different leaves in shape, 

 sometimes a spiral form is seen and in others 

 nothing but the mid-rib exists for a space in the 

 centre of the leaf. On a plant here about 6 feet 

 high scarcely two leaves are alike in shape, some 

 of them assuming the strangest shapes imagin- 

 able. The color of the leaf on the upper side is 

 a dark red, the mid-rib very bright, the under 

 side a dark purple. 



C. maximum. — This, when well grown, is a fine 

 looking plant; the leaves are about 10 inches 

 long and 4 inches broad, of a bright yellow, with 

 a dark green stripe on each side of the mid-rib. 



C. pictum. — An old species in cultivation, but 

 has few superiors in general appearance ; when 

 well grown the leaves are about 8 inches long, 

 and from two to three in breadth, of a bright 

 crimson color, spotted with green and black. It 

 is one of the finest-growing species we have, but 

 like all Crotons, requires plenty of light to bring 

 out the true colors. The reason so many poor 

 colored plants are seen is from keeping them too 

 much shaded when growing. No plants we have 

 endure a higher temperature with plentj' of sun 

 than Crotons, so long as plenty of moisture is 

 kept in the house. 



C. spirale. — In Mr. Bull's establishment I saw 

 a fine specimen of this species ; every leaf char- 

 acteristic of the name. The leaves are about 10 



