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The Horticulturist and Journal 



Ltelias are splendid winter orchids, such 

 as anceps, Superbiens Autumnalis, Acumi- 

 nata, and Albida, can all be depended on for 

 winter flowers, and grow best in a cool house. 

 These last for a very long time in full beauty, 

 with little attention. Stanhopeas, if grown in 

 baskets, will require no water for several 

 weeks ; if grown on blocks, must be soaked 

 in tepid water occasionally. We may men- 

 tion that it is necessary to grow these plants 

 either on blocks or in baskets, for the flower 

 spikes come from the bottom of the plant, and 

 if grown in pots has not power to develop 

 itself. All this class of plants is subject to a 

 small, white scale insect, which must be re- 

 moved by occasional sponging with water. 



Chinese Primulas will now be in flower. 

 These plants require careful watering. If wet 

 over the foliage, they often rot ofl:' at the sur- 

 face of the pot. The double white variety is 

 one of the most useful winter flowering plants 

 grown. 



Cinerarias require to be kept cool, in a 

 damp part of the house, for in a dry atmos- 

 phere they are very subject to thrip, red spider, 

 and green fly, and will require gentle fumi- 

 gating with tobacco, but are easily injured if 

 the smoke is very strong and hot. 



Verbenas must be kept cool, and well sup- 

 plied with water. A little frost does these 

 plants less harm than a hot dry house. These 

 plants should be fumigated once each week, 

 as a preventive, 



Pelargottiuins and Geraniutns must 

 not be over watered, and receive as much ven- 

 tilation as possible, without exposure to cold, 

 drying winds, which would brown the edges 

 of the leaves. 



JBronielifecans Plants. — In reply to a 

 correspondent, and thinking it might also in- 

 terest others of our readers, we give a few 

 notes on the culture of these curious plants. 

 First, it must be noted that all the finest plants 

 of this genus are natives of the tropics, prin- 

 cipally growing on trees and rocks in South 

 America and the West Indies, although the 

 well-known, so called, moss found growing on 

 the trees in the Florida swamps, can scarcely 

 be called a tropical plant. There are also a 



few other larger growing species found in the 

 southern states, growing on trees, but these 

 are of little beauty in the eyes of the general 

 cultivator, the flowers being small and of a 

 dull color. These plants are seldom seen in 

 any but botanical collections, but can easily 

 be grown on blocks of wood in any ordinary 

 greenhouse. We may mention that all the 

 various genus, in the above natural order, re- 

 quire the same treatment, excepting a few of 

 the very strong growing sorts, such as Brom- 

 elia Karati, and a few others, which in growth 

 so nearly represent the common pine apple> 

 without any valuable fruit, that they are sel- 

 dom grown. The above-mentioned species^ 

 thrive with the same treatment given to the 

 pine apple, and need not be mentioned in this 

 article. The Nidularias, Achmeas, Yresias, 

 Bilbergias, and Tillandsias, are all more or 

 less curious and interesting. Some, such as 

 Achmea Zebrina, have variegated leaves, so 

 nearly the color of a rattle snake, that some 

 of our visitors on first seeing the plant have 

 started under the impression that one of those 

 reptiles had free quarters among the plants ; 

 others, such as the Nidularias, have the top 

 foliage of a bright color, and the Tillandsias 

 and Bilbergias have the flowers and floral 

 leaves of the most brilliant and delicate color. 

 The cultivation of these plants is very sim- 

 ple ; in fact, if allowed to scramble over a 

 rock work in the full sun of a tropical house, 

 they will take care of themselves ; but as few 

 of our readers can spare a place for that pur- 

 pose, we will give a few notes on cultivation 

 in pots. Achmea Zebrina is a capital plant 

 to grow on the surface of large Aerieles and 

 Vanda pans ; it fills the spagnum with roots, 

 and flourishes to perfection. The remaining 

 species we grow in pots ; five and six inch 

 sizes are usually large enough, for these plants 

 do not require much pot room, and but little 

 soil, being generally found growing among 

 moss on trees and decayed stumps. The soil 

 best suited for the plants is rough peat and 

 moss in about equal parts, with the addition 

 of some sand, grit, or charcoal. The pots re- 

 quire to be well drained, so that water may 

 pass freely, for the plants require a good quan- 



