ATACCIA CraSTATA. 



GreenJiouse and IStove Flartts 



57 



fatal to their well-being. It is frequently 

 supposed that, because a plant grows in a 

 state of nature in soil saturated with stag- 

 nant moisture, an imitation of this is 

 essential under jjot cvdture ; whereas with 

 these moisture-loving subjects it is just as 

 necessary that their pots should be well 

 drained, and the soil in which the roots are 

 l>laced of such a character as will allow the 

 water passing freely through it, as it is 

 with plants that exist naturally in drier 

 ground. Anything approaching a sour 

 condition of the soil, or deficiency in the 

 drainage, will quickly cause the roots of 

 the Ataccia to rot ; after which it is very 

 difficult to prevent the plants from dying, 

 iis when reduced to this state they are slow 

 in forming fresh fibres, and the soft nature 

 of the leaves and stem is such as to cause 

 them to flag and shrivel up. 



The plant is propagated by di^■ision of 

 the side shoots which are thro'mi out from 

 the main stem. As these are produced but 

 sparingly, it increases slowly. The side 

 shoots are generally emitted near the sur- 

 face of the soil, and in a few months after 

 their appearance push out roots from the 

 base, independent of those that support the 

 plant. When these have attained an inch 

 or two in length, and are aboat to enter 

 the soil (in which state they will generally 

 be found towards midsunmier), the side 

 growths may be taken oft' with these roots 

 attached, and placed singly in 4 or 5 inch 

 pots, according to the strength of the 

 crowns. The pots should have an inch of 

 crocks in the bottom. The soil ought to 

 consist of the best fibrous peat, with a good 

 portion of the earthy matter shaken out — 

 four parts to one of fine broken crocks and 

 sand in equal proportions. Secure tliem 

 in the pots with two or three small sticks, 

 and give enough water to settle the soil. 

 They should then be placed under a pro- 

 pagating glass, but not kept so close as 

 many things would require to be, or they 

 will be liable to rot. They should stand 

 on a moist bottom, in a temperature of 70°, 

 or a little over, in the night, and 10° higher 

 in the day -with sun-heat. They must be 

 shaded from the sun. In the course of a 

 month or six weeks they will be wcdl- 

 rooted, and should be placed on a side 

 shelf near the glass. The plant likes 

 plenty of light, but will not well bear 

 exposure to the sun in bright weather. 

 When they have got inured to the full air 

 of the stove, if in the smallest pots advised, 

 they should be moved into others an inch 

 larger, with soil similar to tiiat in which 

 they were first placed ; admit a moderate 

 amount of air every day all through the 

 summer, give plenty of water to the roots, 



and moisten overhead with the sjTinge in 

 the afternoons when the house is closed. 

 About the middle of September the tem- 

 perature should be lowered 5° in the night 

 and 7° or 8° in the day, more air given, 

 and both shade and syringing discon- 

 tinued ; as the days get shorter reduce 

 the heat a little more, and keep through 

 the winter in about this temperature. 

 Daring this season they make little 

 growth, and should not have nearly so 

 much water, but on no account must the 

 soil be allowed to get so dry as required 

 by many plants at this time. When the 

 days lengthen at the beginning of March, 

 raise the lieat 5° in the night, and 6° or 

 8° with sun-heat, gi\"ing a little air in 

 the middle of the day ; they should then 

 be shifted into pots 2 inches larger, and 

 the soil used should be as before. When 

 the weather gets warmer, shade will be 

 necessary in the middle of the day, and 

 the temperature should be raised day and 

 night to the maximum point to whicli 

 they were subjected the preceding summer. 

 The strongest will most likely push up one 

 or more flower-scapes through the course 

 of the season, but these will be much 

 smaller than those that may be expected 

 as the plants get stronger. Treat in 

 every respect as advised during the pre- 

 vious summer and autumn, again reducing 

 the temperature as the days shorten, and 

 winter as before. In the ensuing scoring, 

 about the same time, give them pots 1 or 

 2 inches larger, accorcling to the progress 

 they have made ; but they must not at 

 at any time be over-potted, as they cannot 

 endure too much root-room. A l6-in. pot 

 is large enough for a full-sized specimen 

 that has got several crowns. The strongest 

 plants will in all probability form a second 

 croANTi during the season, and go on in- 

 creasing each simimer ; if it is thought de- 

 sirable to increase the number of plants 

 rather than to grow them into laiger speci- 

 mens, they may be di^dded and treated as 

 advised in the first instance. But it is 

 when they have got from three to five 

 crowns each that they become the most 

 efl'ective, as in this size they will often 

 push up four or five flower stems at a 

 time ; and when the plants are strung they 

 will also bloom oftener. There is no 

 stated time for their flowering, as when 

 strong they usually produce a spike of 

 flowers from each leaf, coming in at in- 

 tervals through the growing season, but 

 most of them appear in the spring, when 

 active growth has fairly commenced. It 

 is not well to syringe them overhead at the 

 time the young scape is issuing from where 

 it is produced — the inside of the base of 



