TO THE FLOWER GAKDEN. 117 



FEVERFEW. See Pyrethrum. 



FICUS. Fig Tree. [Moracese.] A large family of ever- 

 green shrubs, mostly requiring stove temperature. Two or 

 three species, however, will grow in a greenhouse, and are 

 desirable evergreens of the easiest culture, rooting from 

 cuttings planted in any sandy soil, and placed in a frame, 

 and growing freely in a compost of mixed loam and peat. 

 The most interesting for this purpose are F. elastica, which 

 has very large and thick elliptical leaves, and should be kept 

 as warm as possible ; and F. repens, a small, ivy-habited, 

 creeping, rooting-stemmed species, with leaves almost heart- 

 shaped. These are both good plants for window culture, 

 especially the former, which has a noble aspect; and, being 

 one of the plants whose milky juice forms India-rubber, is 

 called the India-rubber tree. There are no conspicuous 

 flowers. 



FIG MARIGOLD. See Mesembryanthemum. 



FILM FERN. See Hymenophyllum. 



FIR. See Pinus, Abies, Picea, &c. 



FIRE LILY. See Pyrolirion. 



FLAX. See Linum. 



FLOWER-DE-LUCE. See Iris. 



FLOWERING RUSH. See Butomus. 



FORGET-ME-NOT. See Myosotis palustris. 



FORSYTHIA. [Oleaceae.] Beautiful hardy deciduous 

 shrubs. Soil, sandy loam. Propagated by layers or cuttings. 

 F. viridissima is a valuable shrub for early forcing and an 

 ornamental wall, but from its early blooming habit it re- 

 quires to be in a sheltered position, or its blossoms become 

 disfigured. 



FORTUN^A. [Juglandacefe.] A half-hardy deciduous 

 shrub, with the aspect of a Sumach. Common loamy soil. 

 Increased by seeds. 



FOXGLOVE. See Digitalis. 



FRANCISCEA. [Scrophulariaceae.] Very ornamental 

 stove shrubs, requiring to be grown in a rough turfy compost 

 of three parts peat to one part loam. They are raised from 

 cuttings planted in sand under bell-glasses in a moderate 

 heat. Tbe cuttings, when rooted, must be potted into small 

 pots in compost rather more sandy thaii that used for 



