ATACCIA CRISTATA, 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
57 
fatal to their well-being. It is frequently 
supposed that, because a plant grows in a 
state of nature in soil saturated with stag- 
nant moisture, an imitation of this is 
essential under pot culture ; whereas with 
these moisture-loving subjects it is just as 
necessary that their pots should be well 
drained, and the soil in which the roots are 
placed of such a character as will allow the 
water passing freely through it, as it is 
with plants that exist naturally in drier 
ground. Anything approaching a sour 
condition of the soil, or deficiency in the 
drainage, will quickly cause the roots of 
the Ataccia to rot ; after which it is very 
difficult to prevent the plants from dying, 
as when reduced to this state they are slow 
in forming fresh fibres, and the soft nature 
of the leaves and stem is such as to cause 
them to flag and shrivel up. 
The plant is propagated by division of 
the side shoots which are thrown out from 
the main stem. As these are produced but 
sparingly, it increases slowly. The side 
shoots are generally emitted near the sur- 
face of the soil, and in a few months after 
their appearance push out roots from the 
base, independent of those that support the 
plant. When these have attained an inch 
or two in length, and are about to enter 
the soil (in which state they will generally 
be found towards midsummer), the side 
growths may be taken off with these roots 
attached, and placed singly in 4 or 5 inch 
pots, according to the strength of the 
crowns. The pots should have an inch of 
erocks in the bottom. The soil ought to 
consist of the best fibrous peat, with a good 
portion of the earthy matter shaken out— 
tour parts to one of fine broken crocks and 
sand in equal proportions. Secure them 
in the pots with two-or three small sticks, 
and give enough water to settle the soil. 
They should then be placed under a pro- 
pagating glass, but not kept so close as 
many things would require to be, or they 
will be liable to rot. They should stand 
on a moist bottom, in a temperature of 70°, 
or a little over, in the night, and 10° higher 
in the day with sun-heat. They must be 
shaded from the sun. In the course of a 
month or six weeks they will be well- 
rooted, and should be placed on a side 
shelf near the glass. The plant likes 
plenty of light, but will not well bear 
exposure to the sun in bright weather. 
When they have got inured to the full air 
of the stove, if in the smallest pots advised, 
they should be moved into others an inch 
larger, with soil similar to that in which 
they were first placed ; admit a moderate 
amount of air every day all through the 
summer, give plenty of water to the roots, 
and moisten overhead with the syringe in 
the afternoons when the house is closed. 
About the middle of September the tem- 
perature should be lowered 5° in the night 
and 7° or 8° in the day, more air given, 
and both shade and syringing discon- 
tinued ; as the days get shorter reduce 
the heat a little more, and keep through 
the winter in about this temperature. 
During this season they make little 
growth, and should not have nearly so 
much water, but on no account must the 
soil be allowed to get so dry as required 
by many plants at this time. When the 
days lengthen at the beginning of March, 
raise the heat 5° in the night, and 6° or 
8° with sun-heat, giving a little air in 
the middle of the day ; they should then 
be shifted into pots 2 inches larger, and 
the soil used should be as before. When 
the weather gets warmer, shade will be 
necessary in the middle of the day, and 
the temperature should be raised day and 
night to the maximum point to which 
they were subjected the preceding summer. 
The strongest will most likely push up one 
or more flower-scapes through the course 
of the season, but these will be much 
smaller than those that may be expected 
as the plants get stronger. Treat in 
every respect as advised during the pre- 
vious summer and autumn, again reducing 
the temperature as the days shorten, and 
winter as before. In the ensuing spring, 
about the same time, give them pots 1 or 
2 inches larger, according to the progress 
they have made; but they must not at 
at any time be over-potted, as they cannot 
endure too much root-room. A 10-in. pot 
is large enough for a full-sized specimen 
that has got several crowns. The strongest 
plants will in all probability form a second 
crown during the season, and go on in- 
creasing each summer ; if it is thought de- 
sirable to increase the number of plants 
rather than to grow them into larger speci- 
mens, they may be divided and treated as 
advised in the first: instance. But it is 
when they have got from three to five 
crowns each that they become the most 
effective, as in this size they will often 
push up four or five flower stems at a 
time ; and when the plants are strong they 
will also bloom oftener. There is no 
stated time for their flowering, as when 
strong they usually produce a spike of 
flowers from each leaf, coming in at in- 
tervals through the growing season, but 
most of them appear in the spring, when 
active growth has fairly commenced. It 
is not well to syringe them overhead at the 
time the young scape is issuing from where 
it is produced—the inside of the base of 
