of Rural Ah and Taste. 



229 



Gossip about G-reenhoiise 

 Plants, etc. 



Frotn (iisciis.sions of 3Inssnrlnisrttii Horticultii- 

 vnl Society duritiy 187-i. 



Amaryllis. — Mr. C. M. Hovey said they 

 were a tribe of plants which should be better 

 known to the flower-loving public. They are 

 easily cultivated when one knows what they 

 require. The secret is in properly drying 

 off' the biilha after fioweriug. They cannot 

 be prevented from flowering ; amateurs should 

 procure good bulbs, and put them in a tem- 

 perature of from GC to 65°, and then re- 

 move them to a colder house as they come 

 into bloom. They should be potted from 

 month to month so as to have a succession of 

 bloom. Later, about June, they may be 

 planted in the open ground ; after blooming, 

 the flower stems should be cut off, then the 

 plants should be watered until they show 

 signs of ceasing to grow, and then dried off 

 gradually. 



John B. Moore said that the secret of 

 growing good flowers is first to secure good 

 foliage. The bulb which he exhibited was 

 grown in a pot until it showed signs of drying. 

 It was then allowed to become dormant, and 

 when signs of starting appeared, was grown 

 in a warm place. The bulb was strengthened 

 by growing so long in the pot. 



Imantophf/lluni mlniatuni. — Mr. At- 

 kinson, who exhibited a fine bulb of this, said 

 that without good foliage it was impossible to 

 have good flowers. This plant is a good 

 feeder, and if allowed would soon fill a 3-feet 

 tub with its roots. His treatment is to 

 deluge the plant with water early in the 

 summer, and afterwards to place it where it 

 will have three or four hours sun in the day. 

 It is as easy to produce a hundred spikes of 

 flowers as five. It is necessary to starve the 

 plants for about six weeks in autumn in order 

 to force them to produce flower buds. 



DendrochUuni gliiniacheuin, — This 

 beautiful orchid was exhibited by E. S. 



Rand, Jr., who gave the following descrip- 

 tion : It is a native of the Phillippine Islands, 

 whence it was brought 10 or 1.5 years ago. 

 The plant exhibited is one, and the largest 

 one, of only two in the country. The specific 

 name is derived from the resemblance of the 

 spikes of flowers to the awns of wheat. The 

 flowers are not showy but very delicate, 

 drooping gracefully from the extremity of a 

 slender, curved, stalk, and are delightfully 

 fragrant. Many orchids are rendered com- 

 paratively unsightly by shedding their leaves 

 before blooming, but this is both evergreen 

 and ever-blooming. The flowers last very 

 long, and are very valuable for bouquets, 

 wreaths, etc. The sheaths of the leaves are 

 delicately tinged with red. The plant is of 

 easy culture in a mixture of fibrous peat and 

 moss. The best location is in the hothouse, 

 but it may be grown very successfully with 

 roses. The plant is propagated by division 

 of the pseudo-bulbs, and is of very rapid 

 growth. Unlike many other orchids in 

 which it is difficult to produce "back breaks," 

 the plant is of symmetrical form. 



Lycaste Shinneri, also exhibited by Mr. 

 Rand, was stated to have been introduced 

 from Guatemala about 18.36. It is a coral 

 orchid of the easiest culture, and can be 

 grown in the greenhouse. Its flowers, which 

 are large and strong, are produced at all 

 seasons, but mostly from January to April. 

 There are many varieties of this species, from 

 the purest white to the deepest purple. It is 

 an admirable house plant, and can be grown 

 in perfection in any room not heated by a 

 furnace, where the air can be kept sufficiently 

 moist, but unlike other species, such as L.^ 

 aro7natica, the flowers are unfortunately des- 

 titute of fragrance. 



Peristeria elata, or Holy Ghost 

 Flower. — Mr. Hovey had been unsuccessful 

 in flowering it until an English gardener told 

 him the bulb must be almost dried up, and 

 by withholding water for two months, and 

 keeping in the hot sun, it was induced to 

 flower freely. Mr. Barker says the only 

 secret is to give it a good rest. 



