Grteiihvuse and Stove Plants. 



39 



wards tlirough the season as previous!}'. 

 By the spring following the plants should 

 be large enough to plant out. A good bed 

 ought to be prepared by putting the neces- 

 sary drainage in the bottom, and filling in 

 with good loam, to which add some sand 

 and a moderate sprinkling of broken crocks, 

 or other material of a like nature, as the 

 soil in all cases such as this, where con- 

 fined under glass in a close atmosphere 

 and subjected to continual watering by the 

 nse of the syringe, is liable to get sour and 

 adhesive. If the plant is well mannged, 

 and has room enough given it, it will live 

 for many years, producing annually its 

 long racemes of bright red, yellow spotted 

 flowers. 



Insects. — The constant use of the 

 syringe, already advised, through the 

 growing season will keep down the less 

 objectionable insects, but scale and mealy 

 bug can only be destroyed liy repeated 

 sponging, which must be done as often as 

 found necessary. 



AMORPHOPHALLUS. 



These are singular stove Aroids, with 

 ample handsome foliage. The flowers are 

 more curious than beautiful. They re- 

 quire similar treatment to Caladiums, 

 which see. 



The following are distinct kinds : — 

 A. bulbiferus. Flowers red, produced 

 in spring. A native of East India. 



A. camfanulatus. Has purjile flowers, 

 and is a spring bloomer. From Cejdon. 



B. cuprens. A distinct-looking species, 

 with attractive flowers. 



A. giganteus. A strong grower, with 

 purjjle flowers. A native of India. 



ANANASSA SATIVA VARIEGATA. 



(The variegated Pine A2)ple.) 



This handsome stove plant is a favourite 

 with cultivators. It difl'ers in no way in 

 appearance from the ordinarj' forms of the 

 fruit-bearing Pines, except that the leaves 

 are handsomely variegated. 



It is increased by suckers in the same 

 way as others of the genus. After re- 

 moval from the parent plant, they should 

 be laid for a coi;ple of days or so in the 

 stove, so as to allow the base to dry up a 

 little ; then strip off a few of the lower 

 leaves. They may then either be inserted 

 in a bed in the stove (if such exists) until 

 rooted, and afterwards put in pots pro- 

 portionate in size to that of the noAV rooted 

 suckers, or they may be put singly in pots, 

 filled with good turfy loam, to which has 



been added a little sand, the soil being 

 kept drier than requisite for most plants. 

 If they can be accommodated with a brisk 

 bottom heat they will root more quickly, 

 although this is not indispensable. After 

 they are well-rooted, the plants should be 

 elevated near the glass, and given air daily 

 in the growing season, with a slight dash 

 of the syringe in the afternoons. No more 

 shade should be used than the construction 

 of the house and its position necessitates, 

 as the more light the plants receive the 

 stouter and more beautifully arched in 

 form the leaves will get. The suckers 

 may be taken off and struck any time in 

 the spring or summer, when large enough, 

 but it is well not to separate them from the 

 plants that produce them until they have 

 attained considerable strength, otherwise 

 they take longer to grow up to a handsome 

 size. Ordinary warm stove treatment 

 summer and winter answers for them. All 

 that is further required is to give more pot 

 room as it is wanted : a 12-inch pot is big 

 enough to grow a large example in. It is 

 a plant that at all times requires careful 

 watering, but water should not be a])plied 

 until the soil is drier than most things 

 require it to be. 



There is another variety, A. Porteana, 

 somewhat diflerent from the preceding in 

 its variegation ; it will succeed with like 

 treatment to A. sativa variegata. 



Insects. — Like other kinds of Pine 

 Apple, the variegated varieties are not 

 much subject to the attacks of insects, but 

 mealy bug and white scale will live on 

 them. Care should be taken never to 

 begin with plants att'ected with the latter 

 insect, which is difficult to get rid of, 

 getting, as it does, down to the Ijase of the 

 leaves ; if mealy bug attack the plants, 

 sponging will be the safest remedy. 



ANCYLOGYNE LONGIFLORA. 



An evergreen stove plant of shrubby 

 habit, with large leaves, and tubular purple 

 flowers, produced in drooping panicles. It 

 is an eft'ective plant, and can, by liberal 

 treatment, be grown to a large size, like 

 many other quick-growing Acanthads, in 

 little time, or it may be flowered in a small 

 state. 



The treatment it requires is such as ad- 

 vised for Justicias, which see. It comes 

 from Guayaquil. 



ANEMIA. 



A genus of stove Ferns, with a decidedly 

 distinct habit. The fructification is pro- 

 duced in the form of a i^anicle, similar to 



