BEAUFORTIA,. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
63 
a 
BEAUCARNEA. 
These stately and most singular ever- 
green greenhouse plants at one time were 
scarcely to be found, except in the few 
gardens where uncommon subjects were 
made a specialty, but since fine-leaved 
plants have come more prominently into 
cultivation they are more common, though 
not by any means plentiful. They are very 
slow growers, forming straight stems which, 
like many of the Yuccas, extend and in- 
crease in height as they become denuded 
of leaves. These latter, which exist in the 
form of a close tuft at the top, are long, 
narrow, and strap-shaped, recurving and 
drooping so as to all but hide the stem of 
the plant, often in the case of B. longi- 
folium more than reaching the ground 
when the specimen has attained a height 
of 6 or 8 feet. They form a large protu- 
berance, at the base of the stem, that 
attains in old specimens the size of a big 
pumpkin, in which condition a well-grown 
example, with its leaves 6 or 8 feet in 
length, is one of the most distinct and 
effective objects that can be introduced into 
a greenhouse. They can be raised from seed, 
but so seldom flower or perfect seeds in 
this country that, unless foreign seed can 
be had, it is best to procure young plants. 
If such are obtained in a small state, say 
in 6 or 7 inch pots, it will be the work of 
many years to get them up to large speci- 
mens like those above described. To 
counterbalance this, we may say that, with 
fair treatment, they seldom get out of 
health, and are long before they outgrow 
the limits of even a moderate sized house. 
If small plants, similar to those indi- 
cated, are procured, most likely they will 
be better for more root-room; about the 
end of March turn them out of the pots, 
and if full of roots give others 3 inches 
larger. It is necessary with all such sub- 
jects as these to be particular about the 
drainage, as they cannot bear anything 
approaching a stagnant condition of the 
soul, which rots their roots. They succeed 
well in good rich loam, to which is added 
a good sprinkling of sand ; in potting, keep 
the bulb-like base moderately up above 
the soil, so as to show the upper part—this 
adds an additional attraction to the plants; 
ram the soil quite solid in the pots. Al- 
though they will grow with greenhouse 
treatment, they will, whilst young, pro- 
gress much faster, and correspondingly 
sooner make handsome specimens, if they 
can be accommodated with an intermediate 
temperature, where the heat all through 
the growing season can be kept at 60° or 
65° in the night, and proportionately warmer 
-without additional room. 
in the day. They will also be benefited 
by syringing overhead daily in the height 
of the growing season. They are sun- 
loving plants, and must be stood where 
they will get a full volume of light, with 
no shade unless it is found needful to use 
some to prevent the leaves burning. Give 
air freely in the daytime and water to 
the roots, so as to keep the soil well 
moistened so long as any top growth is 
going on; in the winter apply only enough 
to prevent the soil getting over-dry, and 
keep the heads free from drip or moisture 
in any way. This is particularly neces- 
sary if they are only kept in a greenhouse, 
in which case the temperature had better 
not be allowed to fall lower than 45°. A 
course of treatment, such as here advised 
for this, the first year, is all that will be 
found necessary in after time, larger pots 
being given as required, but re-potting 
every year is not likely to be necessary 
even in the early stages of growth, and as 
the plants get older and large they may 
often be allowed to go three or four years 
They should, 
however, by no means be allowed to suffer 
for want of root-room, especially whilst in 
their younger stages, as this would defeat 
the object of getting them up to a hand- 
some size without loss of time. 
There are only a few species in cultiva- 
tion, the following being well-deserving of 
a place :— 
B. glauca. ' A medium-growing species, 
with shorter leaves than the others. 
B. longifolium. The finest species ; the 
leaves on a well-grown plant attaining a 
length of 9 or 10 feet. 
B. recurvata. A grand plant, with long 
leaves, of a glossy green colour, tough in 
texture, and very enduring. 
B. stricta. A  distinct-looking plant, 
differing considerably from the preceding. 
All are natives of Mexico. 
Insects.—The hard texture of the foli- 
age of these plants is such as not to invite 
many insects; if any attack the young 
leaves, syringe freely with clean water, 
which repeat as often as necessary. 
BEAUFORTIA. 
Evergreen flowering greenhouse shrubs 
of moderate growth, not now much grown, 
as they are not equal to many that thrive 
under like treatment. They come from 
Australia. 
They strike from cuttings made of the 
half-ripened shoots, put in during the 
summer in moderate heat in sand, kept 
close, moist, and shaded ; when rooted pot 
