GLORIOSA. 
to any considerable size, as the sponging and 
brushing necessary to keep down the in- 
sects spoils the appearance of the plants. 
For propagation and cultivation, see 
Ferns, general details of culture. 
STOVE SPECIES. 
. dichotoma. The Tropics. 
G. furcata. West Indies. 
G. pectinata. West Indies. 
GREENHOUSE SPECIES. 
G. circinata glauca. New Zealand. 
G. dicarpa longipinnuta. Tasmania. 
G. flabellata. Australia. 
G. hecistophylla. New Zealand. 
G. Mendelit. 
G. microphylla. 
. rupestris glaucescens. 
Wales. 
G. semt-vestita. 
G. Spelunce. 
Australia. 
New Holland. 
New South 
New Caledonia. 
New South Wales. 
GLORIOSA. 
These consist of a limited number of 
stove bulbous plants which bear handsome, 
(listinct, and somewhat  singular-looking 
flowers. They are deciduous, the stems 
dying down gradually in autumn after 
flowering, which they generally do in July 
and August, a time when, there being 
usually a comparative scarcity of flowers, 
they are more useful for conservatory 
decoration than they would be at any 
other season. The peculiar character of 
their blooms befits them for association 
with either fine-leaved or ordinary flower- 
ing plants. They are especially adapted 
for cultivation by those who have not a 
large amount of stove room, as their roots 
can be stowed away in winter so as to 
occupy no more space than those of 
Gloxinias and similar plants, and they are 
likewise well suited for purposes of exhi- 
bition. They are easily managed, and re- 
quire no special treatment to ensure their 
growing and flowering abundantly. 
They may be increased by division of 
the roots in spring, just as they have 
started into growth, in the same manner as 
Gloxinias, cutting through the crown with 
a sharp knife so as to secure to each piece 
thus divided a bud or shoot. When raised 
from seeds they should be sown in March, 
in the stove, in small well-drained pots 
filled with equal parts of finely-sifted 
loam, leaf-mould, and sand; cover the 
seeds slightly, and place them in a heat of 
70°. Keep the soil moderately moist, and 
when the plants make their appearance 
let them be near the light, in order to 
prevent their being drawn up weakly, and 
as soon as they are fit to handle put them 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
| bulbs. 
187 
— 
singly into 3-inch pots in soil similar to 
that in which the seeds were sown. They 
will now, if well attended to, and given 
the requisite amount of heat, moisture, 
and shade, make rapid progress ; they only 
require to be slightly protected from the 
sun’s rays during the middle of the day, 
for if shaded to any great extent, as some 
plants are, they will be weakened. As 
their pots get filled with roots, move them 
into larger ones ; use the soil for this shift 
in a more lumpy condition than hitherto, 
but still let it contain more sand than 
would be necessary for the generality of 
plants, one-fifth not being too much to add 
to the soil at all times. The most suitable 
mixture in which to grow them after the 
bulbs have attained some size is two-thirds 
good turfy loam and one-third tibrous peat, 
and the bulbs should be covered 2 inches. 
They require plenty of water when in 
active growth ; support the shoots as they 
extend with some neat sticks inserted 
round the outside of the ball. Give a 
moderate amount of air early in the day, 
close the house in good time in the after- 
noon, and syringe overhead at the same 
time. The coolest end of the stove or the 
temperature of an intermediate house will 
answer better for them than hotter treat- 
ment ; they will grow in an ordinary green- 
house, but so treated they do not attain 
the size and vigour which they do when 
brought on in heat until the flowers are 
about to open. Plants from seed, if well 
managed, may be expected to produce a 
few blossoms the first season ; but if not 
allowed to flower they will make better 
As soon as they show signs of their 
growth stopping in autumn, give less 
water, but do not withhold the supply all 
at once, or it will have an injurious effect 
by preventing the bulbs going through 
their naturally gradual ripening process. 
When ripe, allow the soil to become quite 
dry, and keep it in that condition all 
through the winter, laying the pots on 
their sides in a temperature of from 46° to 
50°. In March they may be started ; put 
them singly in 4-inch pots in soil such as 
that recommended for the second shift the 
preceding summer, use it in a rather dry 
state, and give little or no water until 
growth has commenced, as if too wet be- 
fore the roots have begun to push, there is 
danger of their rotting. Place them in a 
heat of from 55° to 65°, when they will 
soon begin growing, and keep them near 
the light. As soon as they have made a 
fair quantity of roots, four or five of the 
bulbs may be put ina 12-inch pot ; in this 
way while in a comparatively small state 
they will make much more effective speci- 
