298 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[October, 



going on at the same time in a plant, and which 

 we must not forget in formulating rules of practice. 

 For instance : plants commence to flower only after 

 vegetative vigor has been checked or exhausted. 

 We need not take space to elaborate this here, as 

 its accuracy as a general principle will be con- 

 ceded. Now if we continually propagate from 

 flowering wood, under hereditary law, we may 

 expect more floriferous plants, but these plants 

 will be of a lower grade of vitality, and more 

 liable to disease, or to " run out." Plants from 

 shoots of full vegetative vigor will be less florifer- 

 ous, but will grow better, and when they do come 

 into a flowering stage, may bloom more abun- 

 dantly and last longer. 



These are the theories philosophy would work 

 out; but for all this a grain of actual experience 

 will be worth a ton of theory. — Ed. G. M.] 



ROSE CULTURE. 



BY E. FRYER. 



The subject of ventilation for rose houses, is 

 one of much importance to rose growers. To 

 grow plants for the purpose of propagation re- 

 quires a different treatment from that of growing 

 them for bloom. The former requires a close, 

 moist heat, while the latter, though not needing a 

 dry heat, yet requires more air and sunlight. I 

 never had better success than in houses made of 

 portable sash, which, during the summer months 

 were entirely stripped of the sashes, having the 

 full benefit of the rains. The wood splendidly 

 ripened, and very little trouble with spider ; they 

 were always prepared to give a full crop of 

 blooms during the winter. This of course applies 

 to plants growing in the natural soil or planted 

 out on benches in the houses. 



With Hybrid perpetuals in pots where it is an 

 object to have a succession of blooms, the best 

 success is always obtained from keeping plants in 

 cold frames or pits where they are so covered as to 

 be accessible at all times during winter, from 

 which they can be set in to grow at such times as 

 the wants of trade require. 



Here it may be well to remark that by pot plants 

 is meant such plants as are grown one or more sea- 

 sons in pots before being forced, and not those 

 taken from the open ground, and rushed into pots 

 in the fall or early winter. The average number 

 of blooms from the latter is generally small in 

 comparison to regular pot grown plants. 



For years I have propagated roses from blind 

 as well as blooming shoots and have never noticed 



any difference in the blooming qualities of plants 

 produced in either way. The matter, however, is 

 well worth investigating. One thing is generally 

 known to rose-growers, which is, that the rose- 

 plants require new soil well enriched. 



We may feed manure and fertilizers to banks or 

 benches of roses in whatever quantity we think 

 best, but can never obtain the same results as by 

 occasionally taking out the old soil and renewing 

 with new or fresh soil, — rotten sod, such as florists 

 generally use. If the practical man does not 

 know the chemical constituents of such a soil, he 

 knows what is a great deal more useful for his 

 purpose, the plants will grow well and produce 

 strong wood, from which only, he can expect a 

 good crop of flowers. 



A Marshal Niel plant in one of the houses here 

 bore over 2,700 blooms from last Dec. to last June. 

 This is the greatest crop it has borne so far. The 

 only extra treatment it received being an addition 

 of new soil and a mulching of old manure in 

 which a good sprinkling of bone dust was mixed. 

 The plant is not yet 8 years old, the roots growing 

 in the natural soil, and being all inside, budded on 

 Lamarque, 'which I think is a better stock than 

 Chromatella ; it is certainly more floriferous on the 

 former than the latter. Delaware, O., July, 1885. 



DIEFFENBACHIA WEIRII. 



BY CHARLES E. PARNELL. 



Mr. Weir's Dieffenbachia, Dieffenbachia Weirii, 

 is a very beautiful and distinct stove plant with 

 ornamental (oliage, belonging to the natural 

 order Araceae. It is a native of South America, 

 where it was discovered by Mr. Weir, a collector 

 in the employment of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, of London, in whose honor the specific 

 name was bestowed upon it. 



It is considered to be one of the finest of the 

 Dieffenbachias, and as it is a plant that is known 

 for the beauty of its foliage, it can be safely 

 recommended as a very distinct and desirable 

 foliage plant. It is of dwarf habit, the oblong 

 ovate foliage being of a bright green color, thickly 

 blotched and spotted with pale yellow, and 

 should be grown in a moist atmosphere in order 

 to bring out its true character. \\'lien well grown 

 it forms an excellent and very attractive plant, 

 alike suitable fordecorative or exhibition purposes. 



This Dieffenbachia is a plant easily cultivated, 

 requiring a compost of light loam and well- 

 decayed leaf mould, in about equal parts, with the 

 addition of a little sharp sand, to render the com- 



