BALSAM. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
61 
intensely-coloured and profuse flowering 
sorts grown; ought to be in every 
collection. 
A. Sigismund Rucker. Lilac-rose, bordered 
and netted with white, bright crimson 
blotch. 
A. sinensis. Orange-yellow; an in- 
dispensable old sort, fine and distinct in 
every way. 
A. Souvenir de Madame Rudolph Abel. 
Salmon, white edge, and crimson blotch ; 
semi-double. 
A, Stella. Bright orange-scarlet, with 
violet centre ; a good strong grower, and a 
profuse flowering variety. 
For forcing in the winter season the 
white sorts are the best ; nothing is better 
than Fielder’s White, next to which stands 
the old White. The Chinese species, <A. 
vittata striata, isa most useful sort for pro- 
ducing cut flowers in the autumn and 
winter ; it comes in without any forcing, 
lasts for months in succession, and produces 
freely its beautiful white lilac-striped 
flowers. 
Insrects.—Thrips are the greatest enemy 
of Azaleas, and red spider will much injure 
them ; for the destruction of both dip in 
and syringe with tobacco water, to which 
is added some gishurst compound ; repeat 
the operation as often as the insects make 
their appearance. This is better than 
fumigating, which often injures the leaves, 
and, so far as red spider is concerned, has 
no effect. 
BABINGTONIA CAMPHOROSMZ. 
This is an evergreen greenhouse shrub 
that bears pink flowers in autumn. It is 
not equal to many plants that are from the 
same country. Swan River. 
It is propagated from _half-ripened 
cuttings put in towards the middle of 
summer, kept close, moist, and shaded in 
warmth. When rooted pot and treat 
afterwards similarly to Croweas, which 
see. 
Insrcts.—For aphides and _ thrips 
fumigate or dip in tobacco water. Syringe 
* sponge if the plants are affected with 
scale, ; 
BALANTIUM CULCITUM. 
(Syn.: Dicksonia culcita.) 
An evergreen greenhouse Fern, with a 
stout distinct habit of growth. This plant 
may be considered worth growing by those 
who form collections of Ferns, but it is 
not equal to many kinds. It comes from 
Madeira. 
For propagation and cultivation, see 
Ferns, general details of culture. 
BALSAM. 
(Impatiens. ) 
This is a somewhat numerous genus of 
plants, the greater portion of which are 
annuals that, with the exception of the 
old-fashioned kind so much cultivated for 
the summer decoration of greenhouses, 
conservatories, rooms, &c., find little favour 
with growers. The plant is too well-known 
to require any remarks further than that 
those who are commencing to grow it 
should make sure that they secure a good 
strain of seed; the poor single-flowered 
varieties, of which there are so many, re- 
quire as ntuch attention as the best double 
blossomed strains, and are so far inferior as 
not to be worth growing. 
The seeds should be sown about the end 
of March in a shallow pan filled with fine 
sifted loam, to which has been added some 
leaf-mould and sand; cover the seeds 
lightly, and stand in a temperature of 55°, 
they will come up in a few days, when 
keep close to the glass. This is important 
in all the stages of growth, as if the plants 
get at all drawn they are of little use. 
Shade slightly from the sun, and as soon 
as the second pair of leaves appear move 
singly into 3-in. pots, using soil similar to 
that in which the seeds were sown ; keep 
a little close until the roots have begun to 
take to the new soil, and give water as re- 
quired. Afterwards admit air in the day 
so as to keep them sturdy; in a few weeks 
they will require moving into 6 or 7 inch 
pots, and now use the soil in a more lumpy 
state, but well enriched with rotten manure 
—a proportion of one-sixth, with some 
leaf-mould as well, will not be too much. 
Syringe overhead every afternoon, and 
give more air as the season advances, still 
shading just enough to keep the leaves 
from being injured. When the soil is 
moderately full of roots move them into 
their flowering pots, the size of which 
should be regulated by the size the plants 
are intended to be grown to—a 10 or 11 
inch pot will support a good-sized plant. 
After repotting treat as before, and as soon 
as the roots have had time to get well hold 
of the soil give manure-water every other 
time they require watering, still syringing 
overhead daily in bright weather until the 
flowers begin to open. Whilst in bloom 
protect from the full force of the sun, or 
the flowers will not last so long as they 
should. It is necessary with these plants 
to be particularly careful that they never 
suffer from want of water in all their stages. 
