HOVEA. 
or seventh of silver sand, according to the 
quantity of it in the soil. Drain mode- 
rately, it is not a plant that requires a great 
deal of water ; pot firm, tie out the shoots, 
but do not bring them too low or down to 
a positively horizontal position at first, or 
they will not be disposed to make much 
progress—its natural straight habit causing 
it to push out shoots from where it has been 
so bent, which will drain all the strength, 
starving the too low trained shoots so as to 
prevent their further progression. Place 
them in a light situation where they will 
have the air shut off early enough to close 
in some sun-heat, so as to induce early 
growth ; pinch out the points of the shoots 
to cause them to break. 
By the end of April, when the drying in- 
fluence of the sun begins to be more felt, 
draw the syringe over them and damp the 
material on which they stand in the after- 
noons. When growth has fairly commenced 
and made some progress, if any shoots show 
a disposition to run away with more than 
their share of strength, keep such regulated 
by further tying down, or they will rob 
the rest. Itis necessary to be more careful 
in this matter with this plant than with 
most others, for its slow disposition of 
growth does not admit of any considerable 
amount of wood being cut away. Its 
leaves, being naturally hard in texture, 
lose little by evaporation, and consequently 
require little shade after this stage has been 
reached, even in hot weather; yet it and 
others of similar nature, when grown with 
plants which do want shade, are not in- 
jured by it unless too much is applied. 
Treat through the summer as to water and 
closing in sun-heat, with a damp night 
atmosphere, until the end of August, when 
more air may be given, and the plants pre- 
pared for winter. As will be seen, no 
second potting during the season is recom- 
mended for it, its nature neither requiring 
nor permitting of such. Winter as advised 
the preceding seasons. We should again 
advise the removal of the flowers as soon 
as they are large enough to be gotat. As 
before, when signs of growth are apparent, 
move into pots 2 inches larger, stopping 
the points of the shoots and tying them 
down lower, as also any that have been 
formed near the centre and show a dispo- 
sition to monopolise more than their share 
of sap ; treat as in the preceding summer, 
again hardening up the growth in autumn 
by more air and a drier atmosphere. Tie 
nicely out with a few thin sticks to the 
principal branches—it does not require 
nearly so much support in this way as 
most plants—and draw the weaker shoots 
into the places they are required. In the 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 209 
spring they will make nice decorative 
plants, and when in flower through April 
and May they can be removed to the con- 
servatory or show-house, where the pre- 
sence of this and similar hardwooded 
subjects gives a character which the 
employment of softwooded things alone 
does not. Let them here havea light front 
position, where they will not be too much 
crowded, and as soon as the beauty of their 
flowers is over, move them back to their 
growing quarters ; stop and pot as in the 
preceding seasons, giving again a 2-inch 
shift—more than which this plant rarely 
requires. The future treatment each suc- 
ceeding year may be similar to that so far 
advised, care being taken not to overpot, 
or to pot at all unless the soil is well filled 
with roots. 
Another method of treating this Hovea 
is to grow it on without stopping, letting 
it assume its natural form, which will be 
to run up a considerable height before it 
branches much. Its treatment in respect 
to potting, soil, and other matters may be 
similar in every way to the foregoing, with 
the exception of its not being stopped or 
trained, only just a single stick being used 
to support it. It may also with advantage 
be kept a little warmer through the winter 
and spring, the object being to get as strong 
a plant as possible in little time, with 
plenty of roots, and, when it is grown into 
such, to head it down, when the root-power 
it possesses will cause it to break up a 
number of shoots all round the collar, that 
make much more progress than is possible 
with a young plant trained from the first. 
By far the best specimens of it we have 
seen have been so obtained; its natural 
disposition for growing up in a thin, 
straggling way is by this means best cor- 
rected. 
After heading down (which should be 
done about the beginning of March), place 
the plants in an intermediate temperature, 
near the light. Do not give more water 
than just sufficient to keep the soil from get- 
ting over-dry until after they have broken 
an inch or two ; draw the syringe over them 
on the afternoons of dry days. Growth 
from stools of this description will be much 
more rapid than from young plants. 
When the shoots have pushed 8 or 9 inches, 
which they will have done by the middle 
of June, train them out, the strongest to 
the outside, and pinch out the points, so as 
to induce them to branch and form com- 
pact growth. The plants, unless they have 
been somewhat pot-bound, will not require 
a shift until the spring following, when 
they should receive it as early in the season 
as they show signs of growth ; it is better 
14 
