322 Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
height remove two or three of the top 
joints to cause the production of two or 
more growths. The plant comes from 
Madagascar and can stand a good amount 
of heat ; consequently, through the sum- 
mer months it will bear a temperature of 
65° to 70° by night, with from 70° to 80° 
in the day. It likes a somewhat drier 
atmosphere than some stove subjects—that 
is, it does the best with a liberal admission 
of air in the daytime so as to permit of the 
air of the house getting drier than where 
less is given. It requires no shade further 
than is found necessary to keep the leaves 
from scorching. If by the beginning of 
July the pots are found full of roots 
move into others a couple of inches larger. 
Syringe the plants in the afternoon during 
the growing season until September, when 
give more air and reduce the root moisture 
as well. From 55° to 60° night tempera- 
ture will answer through the winter, with 
just as much moisture in the soil as will 
keep the leaves from shrivelling. About 
the beginning of March raise the tempera- 
ture, and increase it still further as the 
sun gets warmer. Give more water to the 
roots, and as soon as growth has commenced 
move into pots 4 or 5 inches larger, using 
loam, which should be of such a good turfy 
character that it will not soon decompose. 
Ram the soil quite firm, and either fix 
trellises on the pots whereon to train the 
shoots or run them up wires or strings 
over the roof if intended to be grown in 
that way. Before the shoots begin to grow 
stop the points to cause them to break. 
The young growth will most likely pro- 
duce some flowers, but the principal ob- 
ject this second season should be to get the 
plants as large as possible, for upon the 
size and strength they acquire, and their 
being well maintained, will depend the 
quantity of bloom they make the ensuing 
year. ‘Treat in every way as in the pre- 
ceding season, keeping the shoots regularly 
trained. If this is not attended to they 
get so entangled that they cannot be regu- 
lated afterwards. Give plenty of air 
through the latter part of summer and 
autumn, with a drier condition of both 
atmosphere and soil, so as to get the 
srowth fully matured. Winter as before. 
Do not reduce the shoots at all previous 
to the commencement of growth, and if all 
goes well the plants will produce a large 
quantity of flowers. When the blooming 
is over the shoots may be shortened back, 
and pots from 4 to 6 inches larger should 
be given. Treat during the summer as 
previously, and also through the autumn 
and winter. The pots to which the plants 
were last season moved will be large enough 
STRELITZIA. 
for the next two years, giving manure-water 
at the time of active growth. Cut the 
shoots back so far as necessary after bloom- 
ing, as advised the preceding season, and 
treat as before. The plants will last for 
many years if a few inches of the surface 
soil be removed and replaced with new. 
Although we have spoken of their being 
grown on trellises in specimen fashion, 
they do better close under the roof near to 
the glass, and even if they are wanted to 
bloom on the trellises the shoots should be 
trained near the glass during the growing 
season, and then wound round the trellis 
when fully matured. But in no way is the 
plant seen to so much advantage as where 
permanently trained under the roof, and if, 
in addition, it can be planted out in a bed of 
well-prepared soil 3 or 4 feet square, it 
will keep on growing and flowering for 
many years. Where there is plenty. of 
room for the head to run, a plant will con- 
tinue blooming for months. 
InsEcts.—From the leathery texture of 
the leaves Stephanotis is not liable to the 
attacks of such insects as aphides and red 
spider, and if these make their appearance 
they are easily removed by syringing. The 
worst pests, like scale and mealy bug, are 
however very partial to it, and should 
these affect it a thorough dressing with in- 
secticide ought to be given when the plants 
are in a dormant state during the winter ; 
repeat the dressing so as to make sure of 
destroying not only the mature insects, but 
also their eggs. 
STRELITZIA. 
These showy Cape plants are generally 
classed as stove subjects, but they will thrive 
in a greenhouse in summer and do with a 
little more warmth in the winter than 
ordinary cool greenhouse plants need. An 
intermediate temperature suits them best. 
Some half-dozen kinds may be met with 
in cultivation, but they do not differ very 
materially from S. Reginz, which has 
purple and yellow flowers. The Stre- 
litzias are evergreen herbaceous plants of 
stately appearance ; their season of bloom- 
ing is ordinarily in the summer and 
autumn. S. Regine bears its flowers on 
stout erect stalks, which attain a height of 
3 feet or more, according to the strength of 
the plant and the heat to which it is sub- 
jected ; the flowers are very distinct and 
curious in form, and last in perfect condi- 
tion two or three weeks. 
Strelitzias are mostly propagated from 
suckers, which are produced after flower- 
ing in the manner usual with plants that 
increase in this way; when these have 
