1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



Every few weeks the plant may be reset, and the 

 house made to appear quite different. In the end, 

 where the lowest plants once were set, now the 

 taller ones may be placed — here a convex group, 

 and there presenting a concave appearance. 

 Drooping plants on. elevated shelves, and hanging 

 baskets from the roof, make little paradises of va- 

 riety in what was once unbearable monotony. 



Gardeners often wish to know the secret of 

 maintaining a continued interest on the part of 

 their employers, in their handiwork; and this is 

 one of the most potent — continued change and 

 variet) in the appearance of everything. Beauti- 

 ful flowers, graceful forms, elegant combinations, 

 all developing themselves with a healthy luxurious- 

 ness and everchanging endlessness, will wake up 

 an interest in the most indifferent breast. 



The ability for this tasteful arrangement is often 

 one of the chief differences between a good gar- 

 dener and a poor one. Before us is a photograph 

 kindly sent us by Mr. Charles Joly, of Paris. It 

 represents a group arranged by the gardener to 

 Baron A. Rothschild, and, though of materials 

 found in most first-class greenhouse collections, it 

 is rarely that one sees such a beautiful combina- 

 tion from the same materials. As far as we can 

 judge from the photograph, the mass represents a 

 cone about seven feet high. It is capped by what 

 appears to be a plant of Alocasia metallica ; around 

 under the leaves of this, so as to hide the pot of 

 the Alocasia, are some half-dozen baskets of Ne- 

 penthes. On the ground there are arranged broad 

 leaved Caladiums and narrow leaved Dracaenas 

 and Pandanuses, with Dieffenbachias, Pothos, and 

 other plants, which not only by color, but by the 

 contrasts with the leaves of different sizes, are 

 made to gi\'e harmonious variety to the whole 

 group. 



It is impossible to conceive of anything more 

 effectually arranged, and we do not wonder that 

 our kind correspondent, Mr. Joly, thought it worth 

 photographing and sending across the Atlantic. 

 All may not have these plants of course ; but our 

 idea is to call attention to the fact that great beauty 

 of arrangement may be contn\ed out of very sim- 

 ple things. 



The more freely a plant is growing, the more 

 water will it require ; and the more it grows, the 

 more sun and light will it need. In all cases, those 

 which seem to grow the fastest should be placed 

 nearest the light. The best aspect for room plants 

 is the south-east. They seem hke animals in their 

 affection for the morning sun. The first morning 

 ray is worth a dozen in the evening. Should any of 



our fair readers find her plants, by some unlucky 

 calculation, frozen in the morning, do not remove 

 them at once to a warm place, but {iip them in cold 

 water, and set them in a dark spot, where they will 

 barely escape freezing. Sunlight will only help the 

 frost's destructive powers. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



BOUVARDIAS. 



BV MISS W., QUAKER HILL, N. Y. 



I would like to recommend to all lovers of beau- 

 tiful fragrant flowers the Bouvardias Humboldtii 

 and candidissima. They are such clean hand- 

 some-looking plants and their fragrance will per- 

 fume a. room. A. Neuner is beautiful, but if I" 

 could have but one shoot I would choose one of 

 the former. They are all profuse bloomers. Will 

 some kind reader of the Monthly please inform 

 me how to propagate them ? Also the best way 

 of heating a very small plant-room ? If anyone 

 has succeeded in using a coal oil stove for the 

 purpose, please state the kind. 



[Bouvardias are raised by making cuttings of 

 pieces of the roots about this time of the year. 

 The small plants are set out in May, and make 

 strong blooming plants by fall. 



There is so much uncertainty about the best 

 way to heat small rooms or plant-houses, that we 

 should be glad if some reader who has had actual 

 experience would reply to the lady's question. — 

 Ed. G. M.] 



IMPROVEMENT IN ACROCLINIUM. 



liY J. C. SCHMIOT, ERFl'RT, PRUSSIA. 



I have taken the liberty to forward to \oiir ad- 

 dress, by to-day's parcel post, a bunch of Acroclin- 

 ium roseum, and roseum flore pleno (J. C. Schmidt), 

 the latter being a noxelty which I succeeded 

 in raising. 



The single roseum (Acroclinium Hooker), a na- 

 tive of Texas, was imported to our country not so 

 very long ago, and immediately gained the favor of 

 nearly every one who saw it. Especially our flor- 

 ists found it to be a very good addition, and used 

 the little pink-colored, charming flowers freely to 

 fill baskets, arrange bouquets, and for general 

 flower work. Already — six years ago — I discov- 

 ered amongst the Acrocliniums which I cultivate on 

 a space of ten to twelve acres, single plants, the 

 flowers of which showed a small inclination to fill. 



