96 



Greenhuuse and Stove Plants 



succession as the growth advances, will be 

 sacriticed. The plants will now be very 

 useful for decoration of the conservatory, 

 to which structure they may be removed ; 

 there they will keep on blooming until the 

 autumn is advanced, when they should be 

 transferred to their winter quarters, in a 

 similar temperature to that in which they 

 were kept the preceding season. As the 

 preAaous season's shoots will have attained 

 a good length through being allowed to 

 grow withont stopping, they should in 

 tiie spring, a little before growth com- 

 mences, be cut back to within 6 inches of 

 the point to which they were last spring 

 stopped. If not well shortened in this way 

 the plants wdll get an untidy, straggling 

 appearance, as the leaves are not long 

 retained on the old wood. When they 

 have iairly broken into growth give them 

 pots 2 inches larger, and treat as previously 

 advised through the summer and succeecl- 

 ing winter ; in the spring again shorten 

 back tlie shoots, but unless very large 

 specimens are wanted it will not be neces- 

 sary to repot them — the requisite assistance 

 can be given by the use of manure-water 

 once a week, fey stimulants of this kind 

 the plants may be kept in good healthy 

 flowering condition another summer, after 

 v/hicli it will be needful either to give 

 larger pots or to remove several inches of 

 the surface and replace it with new soil 

 containing one-fifth part of rotten manure. 

 This is one of the comparatively few hard- 

 wooded greenhouse plants that will Ijear 

 this replacement of the surface soil without 

 danger of injury to the roots or collar. 



This Cassia is equally well adapted for 

 covering a back wall in a greenhouse or 

 conservatory, or for clothing a pillar ; in 

 the former case it should be planted out in 

 a well-]3repared border of good sandy loam, 

 with drainage enough to ensure a ready 

 exit for the large quantities of water a ]3lant 

 Avith such an amount of leaf-surface will 

 require. Small plants, previous to turning 

 out, should be grown for a season, as 

 advised for pot specimens, so as to get them 

 furnished with enough roots to enable them 

 at once to lay hold of the soil when put 

 out, which should be in the spring before 

 growth has commenced. The roots ought 

 to be opened well out so as to give them 

 from the first their required position, for 

 if just merely turned out with the ball 

 entire, and the roots undisturbed in the 

 spiral curved form they necessarily have 

 attained whilst confined in a pot, the plants 

 in all probability will make little progress. 

 In training keep the strongest branches 

 the lowest horizontally and allow the 

 weaker ones a more upright position. 



This will tend to equalise the strength. 

 Keep them stopped sufficiently to cause 

 them to break enough shoots to cover the 

 required space, and to furnish each summer 

 an even clothing of young flowering 

 branches. When this plant is so managed 

 it has not the fault of many climbers in 

 blooming only at the extremities of the 

 shoots, and leaving a large portion at the 

 bottom destitute of fl(jwers. Plants in 

 such a situation can be kept in a vigorous 

 state by the use of manure-water and 

 surface-dressings of rich soil. 



Insects. — Tliis Cassia is not much sub- 

 ject to the attacks of insects. Red spider 

 will live upon it, for which a regular use 

 of the syringe is the best antidote. Tlirips 

 and greenfly are also sometimes communi- 

 cated to it from other plants, but can easily 

 be destroyed by fumigation or syringing 

 with tobacco-water. Scale will likewise 

 live on it. If it is much aft'ected with this 

 pest the best jilan is, to cut well in a 

 short time before growth commences in the 

 spring and wash thoroughly with insecticide 

 sufficiently strong to destroy the scale. 

 Repeat the dressing and brush it into 

 the inequalities of the bark three or four 

 times before the plant breaks into 

 growth. 



CELOSIA. 



These are tender annuals, mostly natives 

 of India, of which the Cockscomb with its 

 near aUy Celosia pyramidalis are the best 

 kno\vn and most generally cultivated 

 kinds. Both are useful decorative plants. 

 The seeds should be sown in pans in spring 

 and stood on a hot bed where an inter- 

 mediate temperature can be kept up ; just 

 cover the seed and shade the surface from 

 the sun. When the plants appear stand 

 near the glass, and as soon as they are 3 

 inches high move them singly into 3-inch 

 pots, and drain moderately. Good tuify 

 loam to which is added one-sixth of rotten 

 manure, some leaf-mould and a little sand, 

 will grow them well. Keep close for a few 

 I days and shade slightly from the sun ; this 

 is necessary at all times in bright weather, 

 I for if the leaves are injured the appearance 

 i of the plants is spoilt. Care must be taken 

 j that they never want for water, as the 

 j leaves will also sufl'er from this cause. 

 I Give air daily, and syringe in the after- 

 noons at closing time ; a night temperature 

 I of 60° with proportionately more heat in 

 the day will answer for them. When the 

 I soil is fairly filled with roots pitt them in 

 ! their flowering-pots — 8 or 10 inches in 

 i diameter will be quite big enough. 



Continue to treat as before, still keep them 



