98 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
CENTROPOGON. 
to grow them in too much heat ; an inter- 
mediate temperature of 60° in the night, 
with 10° more in the day, through the 
summer, is better than a higher tempera- 
ture, which only produces weak growth— 
a condition by all means to be avoided. 
The natural habit is such that little or no 
support is needed, a single small stick to 
the main stem being all that is required. 
Pinch out the points of the leading shoots 
to induce them to break back and keep 
compact and bushy. It may be found 
necessary to repeat this two or three times 
during the summer. Give them more air 
than the majority of stove subjects require. 
This may be managed without interfering 
with the requirements of other plants 
grown in the same house by placing them 
near the spot where air is admitted; but 
although benefited by a free circulation of 
the atmosphere, they must not be sub- 
jected to draughts. Syringe them over- 
head every afternoon through the growing 
season, and close the house early enough 
to raise the temperature considerably for 
an hour or two. Give plenty of water at 
the roots. By the beginning of July they 
will want moving into the pots in which 
they are to flower ; these should be from 6 
to 7 inches in diameter—not larger, for it 
is essential to have the soil thoroughly 
filled with roots before the autumn is too 
far advanced. If this is not the case the 
wood does not become sufficiently ripe for 
the production of flowers to the full extent. 
Give them at this shift soil similar to that 
in which they were last potted, and con- 
tinue to treat in other ways as before until 
the beginning of September, when they 
will not need to be longer shaded or 
syringed ; afterwards give a little more 
air, and thereby gradually cause a cessa- 
tion of growth. As the days get shorter 
reduce the temperature by degrees, keep- 
ing it at 55° in the night, with a slight in- 
crease in the daytime. When the flower- 
buds begin to swell place the plants as 
near the glass as possible without touching 
it; this arrangement will have the effect 
not only of preventing a disposition to 
premature dropping but of causing the 
blooms to open of a brighter colour. At 
this time an application of clear manure- 
water of moderate strength, once a week, 
will benefit them. By keeping a portion 
of the plants somewhat cooler than the 
others a succession of flowers can be had, 
and those that have been longest blooming 
should be used for cutting. There is no 
necessity for any reluctance in cutting the 
branches to whatever extent may be re- 
quired, for it is much better to grow ona 
fresh lot of plants each year than to keep 
the old ones. The latter may, however, be 
used for decorative purposes in a cut state, 
as above indicated ; simply retain a plant 
or two from which cuttings should again 
be taken in spring. 
C. floribunda. Comes from Guatemala. 
Its flowers are larger than those of C. 
rosea, are purplish violet in colour, and 
are produced in great profusion. The 
leaves of this plant are also stained with 
purple on the under surface. 
C. grandiflora. A kind requiring similar 
treatment, yet not so desirable a plant as 
the two others. 
C. rosea. A native of Mexico, whence it 
was introduced over thirty years ago, and 
at one time was much more generally culti- 
vated than at present. The increasing de- 
mand for cut flowers of a showy deserip- 
tion has put it in the shade, few having 
tried it for the purpose for which it is so 
well adapted, namely, that of mixing its 
branches with flowers, with which the 
colouring and form of the leaves contrast 
so well. 
Insects.—Most insects that infest stove 
plants will live on Centradenias. The 
regular syringing recommended through 
the growing season will generally keep 
down red spider, aphides, and thrips; but 
when the syringe is found insufficient, they 
can be destroyed by dipping in a weak 
solution of insecticide. If mealy bug or 
scale gets established on the plants, and 
they are neglected for a time, it is difficult 
to eradicate them without injuring the 
leaves; the best way of removing the 
former is to lay the plants on their sides 
and syringe freely with tepid water ; use a 
small soft brush for the scale. 
CENTROPOGON LUCYANUS. 
An evergreen stove plant of compara- 
tively small growth. It is a profuse 
bloomer,—the current season’s shoots are 
clothed for half their length with quantities 
of bright crimson tube-shaped flowers that 
are an inch and a half long, and keep on 
opening through November and December. 
During this time it is one of the brightest 
ornaments of the stove. 
It quickly comes to a flowering state, 
and such examples as can be had from 
spring-struck cuttings grown on in 6-inch 
pots are the most useful. The shoots 
should be supported with sticks for about 
half their length, and the extremities 
allowed to arch over ; in this position the 
flowers stand erect above the leaves, and 
show their bright colour effectively. It 
seems strange that this plant should be so 
little known, and so seldom met with, for 
