1885. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



299 



post a porous or open one, and it is necessary to 

 have the pots well-drained ; if they are filled with 

 one-third of drainage, it is none too much. In 

 potting use porous or soft-baked pots, and be 

 careful not to overpot the plant. During its 

 season of growth, which is during the summer 

 months, it should be given a temperature of from 

 65° to 75O, a light partially shaded situation, as 

 close to the glass as possible, and a liberal supply 

 of water, both overhead and at the roots. In the 

 winter months it should be kept rather dry and 

 cool, a temperature of from 55° to 60° proving 

 amply sufficient. 



When first introduced, this plant was very 

 highly prized, but of late it has been sadly 

 neglected, the reason being that its juice is said to 

 be very poisonous, and that the plant has an 

 awkward and unsightly appearance when at rest ; 

 but I should consider these objections of little or 

 no account. The reputed poisonous character of 

 the plant can be avoided by the exercise of a 

 little care when handling it ; and its appearance, by 

 removing it to a less conspicuous place, as its 

 season of rest approaches. 



Propagation is effected by cuttings, and if the 

 cane is split through the centre in the spring, and 

 the pieces placed in the sand and given a brisk 

 bottom heat, an abundance of young plants will 

 spring up in the course of a few weeks. When 

 well-rooted, the young plant should be carefully 

 potted into 3-inch pots, and kept close for a few 

 days until they have taken root. If they are re- 

 potted as often as necessary, and liberally cared 

 for, nice specimens will soon be obtained. 



The generic name was given in honor of Dr. 

 Dieffenbach, a German botanist, and the specific 

 name in honor of its discoverer. Queens, N. Y. 



inform me how I can get rid of Mealy bug at any 

 reasonable cost, I shall consider it the most valua- 

 piece of knowledge yet gained in greenhouse 

 management. If they only attacked the tops of 

 the plants I think I could clear them out, but I 

 find them in the sand of the cutling-l)ench and in 

 the pot. If I had a new greenhouse to build and 

 no other very near it, I think I would not allow a 

 single plant to go into it until it had gone through 

 a thorough quarantine and an insect purgatory, 

 and would, as far as possible, refuse admission to 

 anything but cuttings known to be clear, and if 

 it was necessary to introduce any plants would re- 

 move all soil and carefully wash all the i-oots as 

 well as tops before admitting them. 



Hammonton, N. J. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM FLY. 

 BY W. F. BASSETT. 



Every purchase of Chrysanthemums brings us 

 an army of this pest, but I have always succeeded 

 in getting rid of them. My method is to watch 

 the plants carefully every day and wash them in 

 strong soap-suds. Tobacco soap is best, but any 

 good soap will do; taking care to allow none to 

 escape from the dish of suds, and follow up this 

 treatment without intermission as long as any re- 

 main. Various insect remedies are said to keep 

 down all these pests of the greenhouse, but that is 

 not at all satisfactory and calls for " eternal vigi- 

 lance." When extermination is at all practicable it 

 should be the result aimed at. If any one will 



Flowering OF Cactuses. — "W. P.," Oswego, 

 N. Y., says: " Last spring in looking over back 

 numbers of the Gardeners' Monthly, I noticed 

 different notes on time of blooming of night- 

 blooming Cereus, and as we have two large plants, 

 I thought I would take note of their time of 

 blooming. The one has long, rope-like, square 

 stems about twenty feet long — C. grandiflora ; the 

 other has flat stems— C. latifrons. The plant is 

 about twelve feet high and from four to six feet 

 across. C. grandiflora had twenty-eight flowers, 

 which opened as follows : one on July 3d, nine on 

 loth, four on 20th, three on 22d, one on 23d, eight 

 on 27th, one on August 1st, one on 15th. The 

 flowers slightly fragrant. The C. latifrons had 

 twenty-two flowers on the first time it bloomed, 

 which opened: eleven on June iSth, seven on 

 19th, two on 20th, the other two, two weeks later. 

 Then it showed another batch of forty-one flowers, 

 which opened: five on July 30th, thirty-three on 

 31st, three on August ist. And now I can count 

 about forty buds, making the third batch this 

 summer. Does this variety usually do so ? This 

 variety very fragrant. 



[The plants are not correctly named. C. grandi- 

 florus is not square stemmed, and C. latifrons, we 

 believe, not fragrant. — Ed. G. M ] 



Flow Pipes in Hot Water Boilers. — "A 

 Constant Reader," Bangor, Me., says: "Your 

 remarks on the above subject (page 199 July num- 

 ber) seem very reasonable and may be made very 

 practicable. 



"Water certainly must need greater force to run 

 up hill than down; the better showing is what 



