February 5, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



183 



Cineraria hybrida 



The season has arrived when these handsome, cool 

 greenhouse herbaceous plants are throwing up their 

 beautiful flower-heads. The florists' varieties are said 

 to be an evolution from C. cruenta and for beauty and 

 general utility they are among the best flowering plants 

 we have, at this season. In an ordinary living room, 

 if brought in when in full flower, and watered carefully, 

 they will keep in good condition for over two weeks and 

 it is a wonder that they are not grown in larger quanti- 

 ties by the trade than they are. Another thing in their 

 favor is that they can be had in flower from Christmas 

 until late in April, and they are not hard on the coal 

 bill. 



As they are almost entirely grown from seeds in this 

 country, the greatest difficulty is to obtain a good strain 

 of seed, and they will vary greatly in a -single packet. 

 The first to germinate are not by any means always the 

 best; quite often, the smaller plants in the seed pan give 

 the largest and best marked flowers. In my opinion, 

 there has been very little advance in these plants for the 

 last twenty-five years. The habit of the plant, size of 

 flower, markings, and colors were just as good then as 

 now. Of course I am quite willing that others may 

 think otherwise. To have plants in flower at Christmas 

 they should be sown in April, and for later use, at inter- 

 vals up to August. 



A good compost to sow the seeds in is equal parts of 

 finely sifted loam, leaf mold and sharp sand; about a 

 fourth of finely powdered charcoal may be added, as it 

 prevents the seedlings from damping. They should be 

 sown in a shallow pan, or box, which should be well 

 drained. Place some of the rough sif tings over the 

 crocks and add about an inch of the above mixture, make 

 it moderately firm, and have as even a surface as pos- 

 sible, scatter the seeds thinly and regularly over this, 

 and press them slightly into the soil, cover very lightly 

 with some of the sifted mixture and water with a very 

 fine rosed can. Cover the pans with a pane of glass, 

 imtil the seedlings appear, when the glass should be 

 raised a little to admit air, and as the plants grow 

 stronger remove it altogether. A temperature of sixty 

 degrees is about right, until three or four leaves are 

 formed. During the summer give all the air possible. 

 A shady north house is an ideal place to summer the 

 plants in, but they will also do well in a frame, facing 

 north. 



When the plants begin to crowd in the seed pan they 

 should be potted off, in a mixture similar to what the 

 seeds were sown in, but not so finely sifted, and as the 

 plants increase in size and vigor a rougher compost may 

 be used, with an addition of a fourth of dried cow ma- 

 nure. An eight-inch pot is large enough for general 

 use, but if exhibition plants are desired, tens or elevens 

 can be used, and for a final shift we use half fibry loam, 

 ■equal parts of rough leaves and dried cow manure, with 

 a small handful of bonemeal to every three shovelfuls 

 of the mixture. A little sand may be added if the loam 

 is rather stiff. When the plants are well rooted in their 

 flowering pots, give waterings with cow manure water, 



twice a week, until color begins to show in the flower 

 buds. Cinerarias enjoy a moist atmosphere at all times, 

 until they come in flower, and in the hot months of sum- 

 mer dewings overhead will do them good, keeping the 

 leaves nice and stiff. About the first of October, the 

 plants should be removed to a house where they can get 

 all the sunshine during the day, a night temperature of 

 as near forty degrees as possible maintained, and allowed 

 to rise to about fifty-five during the day ; the result will 

 be a firm vigorous growth. The stellata type of cineraria 

 is a fine addition to the above plants, and should be 

 largely grown for decorative work, many showing a dis- 

 tinct preference for them. The much advertised Scarlet 

 Cineraria "C. Metador" has flowered here and is a vig- 

 orous grower, but it does not come true from seed and 

 with us the color is poor, a dirty brick color, as I should 

 call it, and it has the habit of curling up the back of the 

 petal, which I consider a bad point in any cineraria. 

 Hybridists, however, may improve it, as it is a distinct 

 break in color from anything we have seen. The cin- 

 eraria is subject to attacks from green, and white fly, 

 which if not checked would soon destroy the plants. We 

 find a good remedy for both is half an ounce of cyanide 

 of potassium, ninety-eight per cent, pure, one ounce sul- 

 phuric acid, two ounces of water, to every one-thousand 

 cubic feet of space contained in the greenhouse. Fumi- 

 gate once in two weeks having the foliage as dry as pos- 

 sible during the operation. 



\Yest Medford, Mass. 



Some Orchid Novelties at the 

 Royal Horticultural Society 



Notwithstanding the severity of the weather but little 

 slackening in the number of orchids shown before th« 

 Eoyal Horticultural Society by amateurs and nursery- 

 men on Tuesday, January 11, was apparent. From 

 Lieut. Col. Holford's garden came several cypripediuma 

 of fine bold proportions, and awards of merit were be- 

 stowed on C. Atlas a cross of C. Ceres Fascinator and 

 C. insigne Harefield var., large in all its parts, the pouch 

 of a rosy brown tint, petals buff spotted with brown, the 

 dorsal sepal circular in shape, the central area green, 

 edging white one-half an inch wide. The same award 

 was given to C. Bantam, a flower with a varnish on all 

 its parts, with some yellow color on the petals, the pouch 

 on the interior yellow crimson, and exteriorly of a dull 

 crimson, the dorsal sepal white, and edged with white 

 and erect brown lines running upwards; a distinct look- 

 ing flower of middle size. Mr. Ogilvie, The Shrubbery, 

 Oxford, showed a plant of Lycaste Skinneri armeniaca, 

 having white sepals and petals and lip of a blush color 

 — a pleasing and rare combination of coloring. It re- 

 ceived a first-class certificate. Messrs. Sander & Co., 

 St. Albans, showed a new Phaius named Cooperi, the 

 upper segments of which are brownish crimson, lip yel- 

 lowish white, the interior of the flower a mixture of rose 

 and pale yellow. Botanical certificate. 



