1885.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



house atmosphere settling down collects in the 

 throat of the spathe ; then the abundant quantity 

 of pollen secreted falls down and collects, and ab- 

 sorbing moisture soon begins to decompose, speed- 

 ily communicating decay to the base of the spadix 

 and to the ovaries. 



In the open air and sunshine evaporation 

 would prevent this evil, but during cloudy winter 

 and in the moist atmosphere of the greenhouse, 

 we found we must depend on other means. All 

 know that moisture settles and that dry or heated 

 air rises. Acting on the suggestion of this princi- 

 ple, we tried bending the flower-stalk over (not 

 breaking it), thus inverting the flower, to accom- 

 plish the double object of allowing the superfluous 

 pollen to fall out after the flower is fertilized, and 

 to prevent moisture from settling inside the spathe. 

 The inverted flower also sheds off water when 

 watering the plants. In this way I have expe- 

 rienced very little difficulty in fruiting the Calla. 



However, spring or after the middle of March is 

 the best season for fruiting the Calla, and it is de- 

 sirable to let the developing fruit hang over the 

 side of the bench, or ,where it will get what light 

 and sunlight there is. 



A flower fertilized about the middle of March 

 requires about six weeks to ripen fruit, which re- 

 sembles that of the Richardia maculata, and be- 

 comes bright golden yellow as it matures. The 

 berries, crowded together on the short axis, con- 

 tain from two to six seeds each, which are smaller 

 than those of the Richardia maculata, and require 

 a longer time to germinate. New Albany, Ind. 



touch of color, I have no doubt, would have been 

 greatly intensified in the open ground, as is shown 

 by other varieties of Begonias ; but there is nothing 

 about these plants to suggest B. semperflorens as 

 an element in their parentage. This variety is at 

 least desirable as a pot plant. 



Can any one give different results, and its value 

 as a bedder in our climate ? State College, Pa. 



PROPAGATION OF DOUBLE BOUVARDIAS. 

 BY MANSFIELD MILTON. 



There is a general belief among a good many 

 florists that to propagate Alfred Xeuner and Gen. 

 Garfield Bouvardias, top cuttings have to be 

 used in order to preserve their double qualities. 

 That when propagated by root cuttings, they re- 

 vert to the original single varieties, being what is 

 termed "bud sports." This is incorrect. They 

 can be propagated by root cuttings the same as 

 any of the single kinds, and the flowers be just as 

 double as when propagated by cuttings made 

 from the shoots. Grown with plenty of light and 

 heat, the double kinds are grand acquisitions, but 

 in a cool, moist temperature, they are apt to get 

 decayed in the centre of the flower before the truss 

 is nearly open. Youngstown, O. 



BEGONIA FLORIDA INCOMPARABILIS. 

 BY GEO. C. BUTZ. 



This was sent out last spring by Haage cS: 

 Schmidt, of Erfurt, who describe it as a hybrid 

 between B. semperflorens and B. Schmidti, with 

 leaves much like the latter and the blooming qual- 

 ities of the former ; the color of the flowers being 

 a soft pink, its principal recommendation being, 

 however, its value as an out-door bedder. 



Of a small paper of the precious seeds three 

 plants were obtained, which grew vigorously and 

 bloomed profusely in the greenhouse all summer ; 

 but the plants do not answer the above description 

 fully. The plant and flowers in all respects 

 looked not much unlike the common B. odorata, 

 except that the habit was much more dwarf and 

 compact, and the flowers, always in abundance 

 (as the name imphes), had a slight tinge of pink, 

 instead of pure white as in B. odorata. This 



LINUM TRIGYNUM. 

 BY CHARLES E. PARNELL. 



Linum irigynum, one of our oldest stove or warm 



I greenhouse plants, is one that is rarely seen in 



I cultivation at the present time ; but as it is to be 



found enumerated in a few of the catalogues of 



oar florists, I am induced to call the attention of 



I our amateur cultivators to it as, when well grown, 



a verv attractive plant, and besides, the color of its 



flowers (bright yellow) is wanting in so many of 



the plants in cultivation at the present time. 



Properly managed this Linum is an attractive 

 warm g-eenhouse plant, growing from 2 to 3 feet 

 in height by as much in breadth, having erect, 

 smooth stems and oblong, acute, smooth alternate 

 leaves ; producing its bright yellow flowers from 

 the axils of the leaves in the greatest profusion 

 during the winter months, the time of blooming 

 depending in a great manner upon the tempera- 

 ture in which the plants have been grown. 



This Linum is a native of the East Indies, from 

 whence it was introduced in 1799, and although it 

 has been in cultivation for so many years it is a 

 plant rarely met with. It is a plant easily culti- 

 vated, growing freely in a compost of two-thirds 



