BEAUFORTIA. 



Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 



63 



BEAUCARNEA. 



These stately and most singular ever- 

 gieen greenhouse plants at one time were 

 scarcely to be found, except in the few 

 gardens where uncommon subjects were 

 made a specialty, but since tine-leaved 

 plants have come more prominently into 

 cultivation they are more common, though 

 not by any means plentiful. They are very 

 slow growers, forming straight stems which, 

 like many of the Yuccas, extend and in- 

 crease in height as they become denuded 

 of leaves. These lattei-, which exist in the 

 form of a close tuft at the top, are long, 

 narrow, and strap-shaped, recurving and 

 drooping so as to all but hide the stem of 

 the plant, often in the case of B. longi- 

 folium more than reaching the ground 

 when the specimen has attained a height 

 of 6 or 8 feet. They form a large protu- 

 berance, at the base of the stem, that 

 attains in old specimens the size of a big 

 pumpkin, in which condition a well-grown 

 example, Avith its leaves 6 or 8 feet in 

 length, is one of the most distinct and 

 effective objects that can be introduced into 

 a greenhouse. They can be raised from seed, 

 but so seldom flower or perfect seeds in 

 this country that, unless foreign seed can 

 be had, it is best to procure young plants. 

 If such are obtained in a small state, say 

 in 6 or 7 inch pots, it will be the work of 

 many years to get them up to large speci- 

 mens like those above described. To 

 counterbalance this, we may say that, ■with 

 fair treatment, they seldom get out of 

 health, and are long before they outgrow 

 the limits of even a moderate sized house. 



If small plants, similar to those indi- 

 cated, are procured, most likely they will 

 be better for more root-room ; about the 

 end of March turn them out of the pots, 

 and if full of roots give others 3 inches 

 larger. It is necessary with all such suIj- 

 jects as these to be particular about the 

 drainage, as they cannot bear anything 

 approaching a stagnant condition of the 

 soil, which rots their roots. They succeed 

 well in good rich loam, to which is added 

 a good sprinkling of sand ; in potting, keep 

 the bulb-like base moderately up above 

 the soil, so as to show the upper part — this 

 adds an additional attraction to the plants ; 

 ram the soil quite solid in the pots. Al- 

 though they will grow with greenhouse 

 treatment, they will, whilst young, pro- 

 gress much, faster, and correspondingly 

 sooner make handsome specimens, if they 

 can be accommodated with an intermediate 

 temperature, where the heat all thiougli 

 the growing season can be kept at 60° or 

 65° in the night, and proportionately warmer 



in the day. They will also be benefited 

 by syringing overhead daily in the height 

 of tiie growing season. They are sun- 

 loving plants, and must be stood where 

 they will get a full volimie of light, with 

 no shade unless it is found needful to use 

 some to prevent the leaves burning. Give 

 air freely in the daytime and water to 

 the roots, so as to keep the soil well 

 moistened so long as any top groArth is 

 going on ; in the winter apply only enough 

 to prevent the soil getting over-dry, and 

 keep the heads free from drip or moisture 

 in any way. This is particulaily neces- 

 sary if they are only kept in a greenhouse, 

 in which case the temperature had better 

 not be allowed to fall lower than 45°. A 

 course of treatment, such as here advised 

 for this, the first year, is all tliat will be 

 found necessary in after time, larger pots 

 being given as requiied, but re-potting 

 every year is not likely to be necessary 

 even in the early stages of growth, and as 

 the plants get older and large they may 

 often be allowed to go three or four years 

 without additional room. They should, 

 however, by no means be allowed to suft'er 

 for want of root-room, especially whilst in 

 their younger stages, as this would defeat 

 the object of getting them up to a hand- 

 some size without loss of time. 



There are only a few species in cultiva- 

 tion, the following being well-deserving of 

 a place : — 



B. glauca. A medium-gro-ning species, 

 with shorter leaves than the others. 



B. longifoliiim. The finest species ; the 

 leaves on a well-grown plant attaining a 

 length of 9 or 10 feet. 



B. recurvata. A grand plant, with long 

 leaves, of a glossy green colour, tough iu 

 texture, and very enduring. 



B. stricta. A distinct-looking plant, 

 difl"ering considerably from the preceding. 



All are natives of Mexico. 



Insects. — The hard texture of the foli- 

 age of these plants is such as not to invite 

 many insects ; if any attack the young 

 leaves, syringe freely with clean water, 

 which repeat as often as necessary. 



BEAUFORTIA. 



Evergreen flowering greenhouse shrubs 

 of moderate growth, not now much grown, 

 as they are not equal to many that thrive 

 under like treatment. They come from 

 Australia. 



They strike from cuttings made of ttie 

 half-ripened shoots, put in during the 

 summer in moderate heat in .«and, kept 

 close, moist, and shaded ; when rooted pot 



