296 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[October, 



lible enough to believe that any fertilizing mate- 

 rial not already known to horticulture could be 

 mixed with moss suitable to feed plants. 



The agent of the Duniesnil Moss Company 

 called on me in June and I consented to test the 

 claims of his " secret." Accordingly he sent me 

 a package of the moss which we gave a thorough 

 comparative test with our mixture used for moss 

 mulching, which is composed of about fifteen 

 parts of moss to one part of pure bone dust. 

 Also to make the trial more thorough the same 

 number of plants were potted in ordinary soil. 

 We used — 12 plants Latania Borbonica ; 12 

 Coleus, one sort; 12 Caladiums, one sort; 12 

 Pandanus, one sort ; 12 Crotons, one sort. We 

 washed the soil from the roots and potted in five 

 inch pots four plants of each with the Dumesnil 

 moss, and four of each with our moss and bone 

 mixture, and four of each with ordinary soil. The 

 plants were placed together on one of our green- 

 house benches and were given exactly the same 

 treatment. No difference was apparent in any 

 of the three lots from first to last and all grew 

 w^ell, but there was no superiority whatever in 

 those grown in the French moss over the others. 

 I last month invited the New York agent of the 

 Dumeinil Moss Company to examine them, 

 which he did, and expressed himself as being 

 unable to see any difierence in the three lots. 

 The matter can be easily tested by any one. 

 Moss and bone dust can begot almost anywhere 

 and if it proves to be as useful for the purpose 

 claimed as this French moss, whose fertilizing 

 principle is a secret, then it is difficult to under- 

 stand where the value of the "secret" comes in. 



[This is precisely our view of the matter. 

 Those who are introducing this moss culture 

 have felt sore that we have not been able to give 

 it a cordial endorsement. It is a great pleasure 

 to encourage everything new, — or even attempts 

 at novelty — and it is not right to discourage pro- 

 gressive attempts. We could not see that there 

 was any special novelty in this mode of culture, 

 and so in justice to our readers could not afford 

 to endorse it as such ; but we do think there are 

 some advantages in moss culture which deserve 

 development, —and then there are alwaj's some 

 who would sooner pay more for an article al- 

 ready prepared than get the material and mix it 

 themselves, and in this view we see no more 

 reason why the sale of fertilizing mosses may not 

 be as much encouraged as paregoric, lawn grass 

 seed, or the thousands of other cheap simples for 

 which as " mixtures " we pay dear.— Ed. G. M.] 



ALLAMANDA. 



BY MR. CHARLES E. PARNELL. 



The genus Allamanda embraces some of our 

 most desirable as well as some of our most 

 showy stove plants. Of this splendid genus A. 

 nerifolia is deserving of a prominent place in all 

 collections of stove and greenhouse plants on 

 account of its free flowering qualities. 



This handsome species attains a height of five 

 or six feet, and is of compact bushy habit, pro- 

 ducing its bright yellow flowers in the greatest 

 profusion for at least nine months in the year if 

 kept in a healthy and growing condition. On 

 account of its floriferous habit it is unequalled 

 as a plant for decorative purposes, while as an 

 exhibition plant this Allamanda is excelled by 

 none. 



The flowers of this species are small in size 

 when compared with others of the genus, but I 

 do not consider this much of an objection when 

 we take into consideration the immense number 

 of flowers which it produces. 



Whether grown in the greenhouse or plunged 

 in the flower border, it is equally at home, flow- 

 ering in profusion in both places. This Allaman- 

 da is a plant of very free erect growth ; it is per- 

 fectly free from all insect pests, and is moreover 

 a plant of comparatively easy culture providing 

 it can be given sufficient heat during the winter 

 season, say a temperature of from 50° to 60°. It 

 requires a compost of two-thirds fibrous loam, 

 one-third thoroughly decomposed manure and 

 a little sand to render the compost a porous 

 and open one ; give good drainage, and if large 

 specimens are wanted do not permit the plants 

 to become pot-bound. When growing, water 

 freely and syringe occasionally, while an oc- 

 casional watering of liquid manure water 

 will prove to be very beneficial. This Alla- 

 manda can be plunged in the flower bor- 

 der about the middle of May and taken up 

 about the middle of September. The plant should 

 be repotted before being plunged. It is an essen- 

 tial point in the cultivation of this plant in the 

 open air to keep it at all times abundantly sup- 

 plied with water. Propagation is effected by 

 cuttings of the young shoots which root easily 

 during the summer months, and if the young 

 plants are liberally treated, and kept in a growing 

 condition will produce fine specimens in the 

 course of a few years. With me this Allamanda 

 occasionally ripens seed, but I have never tried 

 to raise plants from them. 



