Greenhouse and Stove PlanU 



13 



dry the atmosphere so much as needful with 

 ordinary greenhouse stock. At the same 

 time more moisture should be used in the 

 atmosphere than in the case of other green- 

 house plants. Plenty of light is of great 

 importance, especially through the growing 

 season ; shading from the sun when it is 

 powerful most of the species require, but 

 by far the greater number of Ferns like 

 more light than is usually given them. 



As will be seen, there is no difference 

 between the stove and the greenhouse 

 kinds in the matters of propagation, pot- 

 ting, soil, &c. 



Insects. — Most of the insects that prey 

 upon plants grown under glass affect 

 Ferns. Thrips, in particular, are trouble- 

 some, and are best destroyed by syring- 

 ing and fumigating, and by dipping 

 and washing with tobacco water when the 

 growth is matured. Greenfly sometimes 

 affects the young fronds, and as a remedy 

 fumigate slightly. Scale is the worst to 

 contend with on" these plants, as where it 

 gets a lodgment on many of the species, 

 such as the Gleichenias, it is difficult to 

 deal with when the specimens are large. 

 Repeated washings with insecticide when 

 the plants are at rest, is the best remedy. 

 For mealy bug syringe freely with tepid 

 water. 



PALMS. 



General Details of Culture.— Until 

 within comparatively recent times these 

 elegant plants were rarely seen except in 

 Botanic gardens, the general supposition 

 being that they were too large for cul- 

 tivation in private places. But better 

 acquaintance with them proves that there 

 are many which possess naturally a suffi- 

 ciently dwarf habit to admit of their being 

 grown for a number of years in pots or 

 similar appliances, by which their growth 

 may be still further restricted, so as to keep 

 them within sufficient bounds to admit of 

 their being accommodated in houses of or- 

 dinary size. Many of the species will 

 bear this dwarfing treatment and yet ex- 

 hibit their elegant form and character in 

 such a way as to render them beautiful 

 objects for the decoration of rooms and 

 other places where only plants of small 

 size would be admissible. So accommoda- 

 ting are Palms in this respect, that many 

 which naturally attain a large size can be 

 kept quite small whilst still having a 

 healthy appearance. Another peculiarity 

 possessed by these plants, which goes 

 far to commend them, is that many of the 

 species will grow in a considerably lower 

 temperature than that in which they exist 

 where found indigenous. 



The family of Palms is a large one, con- 

 taining many genera and a great number 

 of species, comparatively few of which, 

 however, are suitable for the general cul- 

 tivator, and it will be better to confine the 

 accompanying details to such as grow 

 freely. Those kinds that produce suckers 

 can be increased by division, potting the 

 the suckers when taken off singly, and 

 keeping them warm and in a little closer 

 atmosphere until they get established. But 

 the general method of raising these plante 

 is from seeds, which are imported from 

 the countries where they grow naturally. 

 The seeds ought to be fresh, and, suppos- 

 ing them to be started about the beginning 

 of the year, they should be sown moderate- 

 ly thickly in shallow pans, drained and 

 filled with ordinary loam sifted and mixed 

 with enough sand to make it moderately 

 free and porous. A little fine soil should 

 be put over the seeds and they must be 

 placed in a temperature of about 70^. 

 There is considerable difference in the 

 time the different species take to germi- 

 nate, some being much quicker in this than 

 others. When the young plants have 

 made a little growth they must be put 

 singly into small pots before their roots 

 get entangled ; if allowed to stop too long 

 in seed-pans they suffer in this way. Tlie 

 seedlings will bear a strong heat in the 

 summer — 65^ or 70° in the night ; the 

 higher figure is not absolutely necessary, 

 but under it they make more progress. 

 They will do with 10° or 15^ higher than 

 this in the day time. They should have 

 a fair amount of light to keep them from 

 dramng up weakly, and liave air in the 

 day ; shade when the weather is bright, 

 and give plenty of water, without which 

 at all times most kinds will not succeed 

 well, and will become of a sickly yelloAr 

 colour. Some of the freest growers will 

 want a little larger pots towards the end 

 of summer ; in this the cultivator must 

 be guided by the amount of roots they 

 have made, as it will not do to let them 

 get pot-bound at this stage. Palms will 

 succeed in either peat or loam. We prefer 

 the latter where it can be had of a good 

 mellow nature ; it should have a moderate 

 quantity of sand added. Discontinue shad- 

 ing as the autumn advances, and reduce the 

 temperature day and night ; 60"^ in the 

 night through the winter will answer for all 

 the heat-requiring kinds, with a rise of a 

 few degrees in the day more or less accord- 

 ing to the weather. About the end of 

 February all that were not potted a 

 second time will most likely require 

 moving into larger pots in size proportion- 

 ate to that of the particular species and 



