LUCULIA. 
LUCULIA GRATISSIMA. 
In this fine evergreen shrub we have 
vigorous growth, a remarkably free habit 
of flowering, delicious fragrance, and a dis- 
position to bloom through the autumn— 
a combination of good properties surpassed 
by few plants in cultivation. Considering 
the length of the time during which it has 
been known in this country—over half a 
century—it seems strange that it is not 
more generally met with than it is, and 
this can only be accounted for by the fact 
that it does better with a little more warmth 
than that of a greenhouse, and yet cannot 
bear so high a range of temperature as 
most of the occupants of the stove, where, 
if kept, growth is so much over-excited, 
that it appears never to have time to 
flower, or if it does the bloom is of a 
meagre description. With sufficient room 
this plant attains a considerable size, reach- 
ing where desired a height of 14 or 16 feet 
when trained so as to occupy the end or 
back wall of the house in which it is 
located. For this purpose few plants are 
more suitable, and in such positions its 
clusters of pinkish-white flowers are most 
effective. It is equally suitable for train- 
ing round a pillar, or it can be grown in a 
pot or tub, trained bush fashion, for which 
its natural habit adapts it. But although, 
from its free disposition to flower, it will 
bloom in a small state, to have it in a con- 
(ition such as to exhibit its full beauty 
when grown as a bush, it should not be 
stinted for root-room, nor should the head 
be too much cut in. 
It is propagated by cuttings of the young 
shoots, which should be put in early in 
spring—say in the beginning of March, 
for with this, as with most things of 
like character, it is of importance to start 
sufficiently early to admit of the plants 
attaining size and strength before autumn. 
There is one thing connected with this 
Luculia that it is necessary to impress on 
the cultivator—that is, the cuttings must 
never be allowed to flag, for if they do 
they rarely afterwards succeed. Insert 
them singly in small pots, drained and 
half filled with a mixture of sandy loam 
and peat, the upper portion sand. Keep 
them moist, cover with a bell-glass, and 
let them have a night temperature of 
from 60° to 65°. They take longer to 
strike than many plants. When rooted, 
gradually admit air until the propagating 
glass can be dispensed with altogether, 
when the young plants should be placed 
where they will receive plenty of light. 
As soon as growth commences pinch out 
the points so as to induce the formation of 
Greenhouse und Stove Plants. 
241 
several shoots near the base. When the 
pots are fairly filled with roots shift at 
once into others 4 inches larger, using a 
mixture of two-thirds loam to one-third 
peat. A liberal sprinkling of sand is in- 
dispensable, as, being of fairly free growth, 
the plant requires a plentiful application 
of water during the growing season. A 
night temperature of 60° through the 
summer will be sufficient, with a rise in 
the day proportionate to the state of the 
weather, for, being a native of the high, 
comparatively cool, yet humid, country of 
Nepaul, it will do better in such a tem- 
perature than if warmer. A little shade 
in the middle of the day during very bright 
weather will be an advantage. Syringe 
freely in the afternoons. So managed 
the young plants will make satisfactory 
progress. 
Treat as already advised until the middle 
of September; then dispense with the 
shading, and give more air, but keep on 
syringing for another month, after which 
it may be discontinued. A night tem- 
perature through the winter of from 46° 
to 50° will suit the plants, which should 
be kept drier at the roots, but on no 
account should moisture be withheld even 
at this season to the extent that some 
things would bear, for it must always be 
borne in mind that the moisture-loving 
nature of these hill-region plants does not 
in any way change under cultivation, and 
if ever kept too dry they get into a languid 
state, and are made susceptible to the 
attacks of red spider and other insect pests, 
which appear to prefer preying upon plant 
life when under conditions that reduce its 
vital force. By the middle of March they 
may have a 3 or 4 inch shift, now using 
the soil in a more lumpy state, if possible 
containing more fibrous matter. Pot 
firmly by ramming the new material well 
in, which, with most plants, has the effect 
of inducing a more bushy habit of growth, 
with shorter-jointed wood, more disposed 
for an even production of flowers than the 
few gross, over-luxuriant shoots generally 
resulting from light potting. Pinch out 
the points of any shoots that are taking an 
undue lead, train the strongest growths out 
to sticks inserted just within the rims of 
the pots, and leave the weaker ones in a 
more erect position, by which means they 
will acquire strength to an extent that will 
more evenly balance the plants. All now 
required through the summer is to treat 
as recommended the previous season, 
giving them liberal applications of water 
at the roots and syringing freely. By the 
beginning of September the plants will 
push up strongly, and when in bloom they 
16 
