= 36 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[August, 



•of the flowers, it will prove an excellent companion 

 for the magnificent D. Brearleyana, and like it, 

 will make a first-rate exhibition plant." 



Begonia Weltoniensis. — This is a plant emi- 

 nently suited to the wants of amateurs, as it is of 

 such easy culture and such excellent habit of 

 growth that failure is well nigh impossible. And 

 it is one of the very best of window plants in cul- 

 tivation. We grow a quantity of it for vases and 

 conservatory decoration, for it requires neither 

 stakes nor ties to make it into an excellent shaped 

 specimen. Cuttings of it strike freely in moist 

 heat, and if put in early, make a nice succession to 

 the old roots that are dried oft" and treated exactly 

 the same as Gloxinias or Achimenes. We lay the 

 pots on their sides under the stages of intermediate 

 houses when the winter temperature is about 50°, 

 .and in February they are taken out, the old foli- 

 .age cut clean off and a good soaking of water 



given and set up on a light shelf, when they quickly 

 push up a number of shoots, the points of which 

 are taken off for cuttings, and the old ball of earth 

 is shaken away and the plants potted in light, rich 

 soil ; in the same sized pots as before they are 

 grown on in warm frames or any of the forcing 

 houses, when a brisk, moist temperature is main- 

 tained for the earliest flowering batch, and others 

 are kept in cool houses or frames, and the flower- 

 ing points pinched out to form successions. As 

 soon as the earliest lot show flower they are re- 

 moved to cooler quarters, when they develop lovely 

 plants and last a long time in beauty ; the foliage 

 alone is very pretty, but when surmounted by a 

 cloud of pretty pink flowers the effect is very good. 

 At our local cottage garden show this plant is a 

 great acquisition to collections of window plants 

 shown by cottage and amateur gardeners. — James 

 Groom, in Gardening Illustrated. 



Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



FRUIT CULTURE IN SOUTHERN 

 CALIFORNIA. 



,BV GEO. H. PARSONS, COLORADO SPRINGS, COL. 

 (Concluded from page 20!<.) 

 Oranges. — Oranges are hardier than lemons, 

 and lemons are hardier than limes. They %vill all 

 stand a good deal of frost, when at full bearing 

 age, but cold weather causes a thick rind and 

 a lack of juice, and in the lemon a lack of 

 citric acid. Hence oranges from Riverside, in the 

 interior, are quoted at 55.00 to $10.00 per thousand 

 higher than those at Los Angeles near the coast. 

 San Gabriel valley and the valley running fifty 

 miles east and west and about twenty-five 

 miles wide, in which are situated Pomona, Cuca- 

 monga, San Bernardino, Ontario and Riverside 

 are among the best known and most successful 

 regions for the growth of citrus fruits. The atmos- 

 phere of these valleys is so dry and warm in sum- 

 mer that the scale will not be found on one tree 

 in a hundred and the black fungus is unknown. 

 Here the oranges ripen from January to June and 



ought not to be shipped before March, when the 

 Florida crop is gone. 



The trees should be carefully selected and poor 

 ones never bought on account of their cheapness. 

 The best are two or three year old buds or strong 

 three year old native orange stock. The selection 

 of varieties is of great importance, for different 

 kinds bring different prices, but cost the same to 

 plant. The varieties of oranges that have succeed- 

 ed best in California so far, are Mediterranean 

 Sweet, Riverside Navel, Maltese Blood, and Thin- 

 skinned St. Michael. The best varieties of lemons 

 planted here, are Lisbon and Eureka, and of limes 

 the best is the Mexican. 



Ten acres is enough for a citrus orchard, anc 

 one hundred trees, twenty feet apart, are planted 

 to the acre. Oranges and lemons will bear freely 

 at eight years old, and will be in full bearing at 

 twelve years old, yielding then one thousand fruits 

 per tree, per annum. Limes are in full bearing at 

 five years old and are as profitable as oranges. 

 The net profits from full bearing trees are $500 to 

 $1,500 per acre. 



The profits of orange culture may be shown by 



