Aognst 8, 1867. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



93 



CULTURE OF PYUAMIDAI; SELAGINELLAS. 



WILL readily comply with 



your request to inform more 

 than one of your correspon- 

 dents how the Sclnginelliis 

 exhibited at Bury were 

 grown : but a difficulty pre- 

 sents itself at the outset. One correspondent inquires about 

 ctrsia, but it may be tliis or Cicsia arborea that is meant. 

 Now the habits of these two, and therefore the modes of 

 culture, are widely different : hence, to make quite sure of 

 giving; the desired information, I will describe the mode of 

 producing both of these, and the other SelagincUas, as shown. 

 And first, as to ca>sia arborea, the grandest of tliom all. 

 Begin with a strong healthy plant, and pot it in a mixture 

 of rough peat and charcoal, witli at least 2 inclies of drain- 

 age ; plunge it in a bottom heat of 80', and grow it in an 

 atmosphere genial and vaporous — nearly saturated with 

 moisture, and at a temperature of from 70° to H(l°. Shade it 

 carefully from any sunbeam. I-ight, which imparts colour 

 to other plants, robs tliis of that ri>'h blue tinge wliicli con- 

 stitutes one of the cliief elements of its beauty. Under 

 these conditions tlie plant will grow with the strength of a 

 giant and the croctness of a tree, which in fa(!t it is among 

 Lycopods. It roots prodigiously both in the pot and along 

 tlie stem, collecting food aUke from earth and air, and 

 converting it into leaves at a magical rate. Vigorous as it 

 is, its rapidl}' elongating stem will soon become toplieavy, 

 and demand support. 



At this point of the plant's career the vital question of 

 ultimate size and desired form must be settled once for all. 

 Is it to be a dwarf or a giant '.' 'i. :?, 4, 5, 0, or 10 feet high ? 

 and of what form — flat, round, weeping, or pyramidal'.' 1 

 have tried various lieights and nearly all forms, and pro- 

 nonnce now in favour of a pyramid of from fi to 8 feet high. 

 This point settled, place the plant in a 13-incli pot in the 

 same material, and under the same condititms as before, 

 being careful to sink it low down in the pot, say ;i inclies 

 from its surface. This will leave space for two or three 

 top-dressings, as the pbints root rapidly upwards. 



Now for the basis of the pyramid. There are two modes 

 of forming it — one by the aid of a wire trellis of the de- 

 sired shape, another by means of a young Laich or Spruce 

 tree. I showed examples of both at Bury, and hardly know 

 which is the better. Whichevor is used, the first condition 

 of success is to tix it immoveably on or in tlie pot without 

 injury to the roots. This is done by placing a strong wire 

 beneath the rim of the pot, and fixing tlie trejlis or tree 

 firmly as a rock to this wire. If not fixed strongly and 

 tightly, as the plant becomes topheavy the basi.s of tjie 

 pyramid will swerve, some of the branches must break. 



No. 832.-Vot. Xiil., New ScaiKB. 



and the fine pyramid of green become a wreck through 

 lack of solidity of base. 



In training secure plenty of bottom at starting, regulate 

 the growtli once a-week. prevent all entanglement of shoots, 

 as no plant is more impatient of unravelment, keep all the 

 leaves on the external surface of the trellis with the right 

 sides outermost, and the plant will express its gratitude 

 by putting on a robe of such exquisite blue shot silk over 

 it^ green as no other plant can wear, excepting always, 

 however, its lowly but equally lovel.y sister cassia. 



During the p-owth of the plants, with sufficient drain- 

 age it is scarcely possible to over-water them ; and they 

 drink not only with their roots but with their entire sur- 

 face ; hence the necessity of converting both earth and 

 air into a large drinking-fouutain during their thir.sty — that 

 is, during their rapid-growing period. In winter they 

 demand repose by being kept drier in a temperature not 

 under 65", and if they are treated to a summer regimen 

 in November, the chances are that the moisture so essen- 

 tial to their summer's beauty, would bring upon them the 

 rottenness of a winter's death from which there is no 

 resuiTection. 



So much for cfesia arborea. Now for the lovely csesia 

 herself. Well, she is a creeping dwarf, lUie many more 

 of her relatives. This suggests to us the mode of culture. 

 There are only two ways of appreciating the beauty of 

 dwarfs. We must either stoop down to them, or raise them 

 up to us. The first is inconvenient and not ver)' effective, 

 the second is both etVective and pleasant. We see them 

 better, and enjoy their excellencies in comfort. But dwarfs 

 are not only sliort but often stout. Placed close to us they 

 become lumpy from their squabbishness. This has long 

 been the case with many of our SelagincUas. Of the 

 dwarfcst stature, they have been spread over such a large 

 I flat surface until the flatness has robbed them of much 

 I of their interest, and seemed to mar by its shadow their 

 1 exquisite beauty : hence my desire to raise them into pyra- 

 mids or any other desired form, so that the outline of the 

 mass may harmonise witli tlie loveliness of their structure 

 and the beauty of their verdure. ' ' 



For this purpose all that is needed is an iron trellis of 

 the desired shape, wired over pretty closely, say every 

 2 inches, and firmly, very firmly, nttaclicd to the pot. Fill 

 the pot within an inch of tlie brim with charcoal, then with 

 a layer of rough peat up to the level. Now a layer of 

 Sclaginella cassia or any other sort, again a layer of peat, 

 and another layer of plants, until tlic top is reached. The 

 chief points in filling up are consolidation, and keeping the 

 centre filled with charcnal alone for drainage. It also 

 requires to be done neatly and cleanly, and when finished 

 tlie whole should be wa.slied over again and again with clean 

 water issuing from a coarse rose. This watering is per- 

 formed for two reasons : one is to soak the whole mass, 

 the other, equally important, is to wash off nt ofice all the 

 j loose soil. The usual waterings must be nppHed gently 

 through a line ro-te. Nothing seems to worry the plants 

 j more tlian the dtjhrig of soil falling down upon them every' 

 time they are watered : hence the necessity that the firSt 

 I washing should be thorough, and' the 'l^ittire Tsaterings 



N0.9S4.— Vou XXSVIlI., Old Sbribb. 



