i8g6. 



■ ' ' GARDENING. 



19 



DIPLADBNIA AMABILIS. GROWN BY GEORGE McWILLIAM WHIT1NSVILLE. MASS. 



only restriction being that they must be 

 kept out of the sun. No hyacinths could 

 be finer; there were none so good shown 

 at Vaughan's store last winter, and they 

 claimed to have an expert grower. 



Ixias. — We take much pleasure in our 

 ixias as successors to the hyacinths. 

 Planted at the same time, they come into 

 bloom just as the hyacinths leave, but 

 they are treated somewhat differently; 

 the pots stay on the conservatory floor 

 until the grass appears and then go to 

 some cool window ledge — a south window 

 in a room only warmed from a hall, we 

 like best for them. As six or seven bulbs 

 will do well in a 4-inch pot, cover an inch 

 in planting; one window will hold a 

 goodly array. After they get into bloom 

 the ixias seem to be less particular as to 

 location for we even lend them for dec- 

 oration, which is certainly a trying ordeal 

 for any plant. I know of no bulb that 

 gives more flowers and bloom for so great 

 a length of time as the ixia,and then they 

 are so graceful. Years ago we possessed 

 some brilliant orange colored ones that 

 were not more than ten inches high; 



whereas, those we buy nowadays are 

 much taller. Who has the older variety? 

 [Don't you mean Tritonia crocatai— Ed.] 

 By the way, ixias increase as rapidly as 

 freesias, and the bulbs keep fully as well. 

 We simply leave them in the earth where 

 thev ripened and keep them dry until re- 

 potting time. F. N. B. 

 Crownpoint, Ind. 



nias have never been grown extensively 

 enough in the northern states to justify a 

 man in writing such a book. 



Gloxinias, how to propagate —J. E. 

 Y., Waycross, Ga., writes: "As I wish to 

 grow gloxinias will you kindly let me 

 know if there is any other way to propa- 

 gate them than from seed." Ans. Yes, 

 from leaves, treating them a good deal as 

 one would Rex begonia leaves, except 

 that in gloxinias we use one leaf for one 

 plant, whereas in begonias, one leaf may 

 be cut several times across the veins, and 

 laid on to moistened sand, when new 

 plants will be emitted from every incision. 



Gardenias for Profit.— C. W. A., 

 Newport, R. I., asks for a book on how 

 to grow gardenias for profit. Ans. Wedo 

 not know of such a book, in fact, garde- 



TflE FERNERY IN THE CONSERVATORY, LIN- 

 COLN PARK, CHICAGO. 



Several people who have recently been 

 to Chicago have come to us so full of the 

 glories of the fernery in the conservatory 

 at Lincoln Park that we are glad of the 

 opportunity of showing our readers how 

 such a fernery is arranged. The structure 

 is a large, wide, roomy greenhouse with 

 the indoor beds, as it were, sunk under 

 the ground level, and made to represent 

 an uneven ferny ravine. Sunken path- 

 ways run hither and thither between the 

 rocky grounds and precipitous cliffs close 

 by a cataract and cross a miniature 

 mountain lakelet. The mounds and 

 banks and cliffs are moulded and faced 

 with a perforated ornamental natural 

 stone, and every bit of space is covered 

 with ferns in hearty luxuriance. Every 

 kind of greenhouse fern in general cultiva- 

 tion finds a genial home in that pleasant 

 retreat, even the tree ferns of Australia, 



