| ERYTHRINA. Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 169 
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within ten days immediately after flower- 
ing, before growth has commenced. The 
way this insect principally injures the 
plants is by coating over with its excre- 
ment the upper surface of the leaves, as if 
they were varnished, clogging the pores, 
and causing them to. prematurely turn 
yellow and fall off. This washing has also 
a beneficial effect in removing dust that 
adheres to the foliage and becomes fixed in 
the small drops of glutinous fluid that are 
secreted by the flowers. 
ERYTHRINA CRISTA-GALLI. 
This greenhouse species of the Coral 
tree is from the cooler regions of Brazil ; it 
belongs to a splendid genus of plants, many 
of which acquire a considerable size in 
their native country, but grown as a pot 
specimen it can easily be kept within 
reasonable bounds. That this Erythrina 
is not more generally cultivated can only 
be accounted for by the reason of its having 
no pretensions to being new in the country, 
and on that account, like numbers of other 
things of real merit, it is comparatively 
neglected. It has a very distinct appear- 
ance—the peculiar form of its large coral- 
red flowers, produced freely at the axils of 
the leaves for three-fourths the length of 
stately shoots, 4 or 5 feet high, backed by 
handsome glossy foliage, makes it when 
well managed one of the finest conservatory 
plants grown. It is frequently subjected 
to stove treatment, by which it can be 
induced to flower twice in the year—spring 
and autumn—but when thus grown in heat 
the shoots are always more or less drawn 
up in a way that gives it a weak loose 
appearance, much inferior to its character 
when in the cooler atmosphere of the 
greenhouse. 
It is of very easy culture, succeeding in 
either peat or loam, or in a mixture of 
both, but good loam is preferable, as in it 
the growth is somewhat more compact, the 
leaves smaller, and the flowering more 
profuse. 
Cuttings such as produced in the spring 
from the collars of established plants should 
be taken off with a heel when about 5 or 6 
inches long ; put singly in 3-inch pots in 
sand, kept close, moist, and shaded in a 
moderate stove-heat, they will root in 
five or six weeks, when dispense with 
covering, and as soon as they begin to 
grow away freely move into 6-inch pots. 
When the roots have fairly entered the 
new soil subject the plants to greenhouse 
treatment, with air and plenty of water to 
the roots, and syringe daily. In the 
autumn when growth ceases they should 
receive very little water—only just as 
much as is requisite to keep the soil from 
getting quite dry, as the object is to check 
any disposition to growth, and the plant, 
unlike most others, will bear this kind of 
treatment without injury. This partial 
drying-off will cause the previous summer’s 
shoots to show signs of dying down, and 
when this is apparent they may be headed 
back to within a few inches of the collar. 
They should then be placed for the winter 
in an ordinary greenhouse, and in spring, 
as soon as shoots spring up from the base 
and have acquired a length of 3 or 4 inches, 
the plants should be turned out of the pots, 
the greater portion of the old soil carefully 
shaken from the roots, and repotted in good 
fibrous loam, to which has been added one- 
sixth of rotten dung sifted quite fine ; 
break the loam up with the hand, but do 
not make it too fine, and mix with the 
whole a good portion of sand. Give suf- 
ficient drainage, for although in the case 
of a plant like this, that should in a mea- 
sure be shaken out every season, it is not 
necessary to take so much precaution in 
drainage as for things that cannot bear 
the interference with their roots consequent 
upon a renewal of the soil, so much water 
is required through the growing season 
that both soil and drainage must be 
such as will admit of its passing freely 
away. Plants of the size above spoken of 
will bear a 10-inch or 12-inch pot; the 
soil should be made moderately firm. 
After potting replace in the greenhouse, 
but do not give more water than will just 
keep the soil a little moist, until the roots 
begin to move freely, when more will be 
needed. As the weather gets warmer, 
syringe overhead every afternoon so as to 
moisten the leaves all over. This will 
encourage growth, and keep in check red 
spider, by which it is sometimes affected. 
When the shoots get a foot or so long, but 
before they are too stiff, tie them out in a 
horizontal position towards the sides of the 
pot, but do not bring them too low, or 
they will cease growing from the points 
and break back, which with this Erythrina 
is not desirable ; nor should the points be 
stopped at all, but simply allowed to grow 
on to a flowering state. Give plenty of 
light and air, so as to keep the growth 
stout and compact. When the shoots have 
extended so as to require it, put to each a 
neat stick sufficiently strong for support. 
The plants will need nothing more than 
attention with water, and when the flowers 
begin to show, and the ball is full of roots, 
liquid manure may with advantage be 
given twice a week. The blooms will 
commence to open about July, when they 
