CHOROZEMA. 



Greenhouse and iStuve FLints. 



103 



mediate lieat ; when fully rooted move 

 them singly into small pots, and as soon 

 as the shoots have begun to extend freely 

 pinch out the points, still keeping the 

 atmosphere a little close, shading, and 

 syringing overhead regularly when the air 

 is shut off in the afternoons. Continue 

 this until the end of August, when 

 give more air and no shade except wlien 

 the sun is very bright. Keep through the 

 winter at a temperature during the night 

 of about 50'. Towards the end of February 

 move the little plants into 3-inch pots, 

 using soil sucli as already advised, making 

 it fine and potting moderately firm. Give 

 a little shade as soon as the sun gets more 

 power, and avoid side air until the weather 

 is warmer ; syringe overhead in the 

 afternoons later on. Again pinch out the 

 points of the shoots, and keep them stood 

 well up to the glass. By the end of June 

 there should be enough root progress made 

 to admit of shifting them on into 6-inch 

 pots, after which keep the atmosphere a 

 little closer for three weeks, and continue 

 to treat in other respects as before. Cea^e 

 shading and syringing at the end of August, 

 and winter at about 45° by night. To- 

 wards the end of February, give pots 3 

 inches larger. Let the drainage be ample 

 — say two and a half inches, as from tlie 

 amount of groAvth they make when doing 

 well they require a good deal of water, and 

 provision should be made to enable it to 

 pass freely off. Use the soil in a somewhat 

 lumpy state, broken to the size of small 

 walnuts, with one-sixth sand ; pot toler- 

 ably hard. Tie all the strongest branches 

 out horizontally down to the rims of the 

 pots, and place them in a house where they 

 can be treated to a somewhat close atmo- 

 sphere of 45° night temperature, with 5° or 

 10° rise by day. As soon as they show 

 that they have taken to the soil, pinch out 

 all the points of the shoots, and pick oft" all 

 flowers, so as to direct the whole energies 

 of the plants into growth. By the begin- 

 ning of May, as the weather gets warmer, 

 syringe ovei'head every afternoon, keeping 

 the stage (or, what is still better for these 

 plants to stand upon, some medium that 

 Avill retain moisture, such as fine ashes) 

 damp ; through the summer season they 

 will be much benefited by slight shading 

 from direct sun during the hottest part of 

 the day. "Wlien the shoots have made 6 

 inches of growth pinch all the points out, 

 and as soon as they have extended another 

 6 inches they must again have their points 

 pinched back ; this stopping oftener than 

 would be required with most plants, is, 

 with the strongest-growing Chorozemas, a 

 necessity, to keep them bushy and from 



getting too straggling. If this is not done 

 they Avill require cutting back, which 

 simply means a waste of time and Aagour 

 in the plants. After the middle of August 

 shade no more, but continue the use of the 

 syringe every bright afternoon, until the 

 middle of September ; after this they wiU 

 not make so much growth, but will begin 

 to set their flowers ; winter at about 40° by 

 night. From the rapid growth the more 

 vigorous varieties of these plants make, 

 they will by the end of this season be nice 

 decorative examples for the conservatory, 

 or wherever required. They are best 

 trained to a few sticks, just sufficient to 

 give support ; wind the strongest branches 

 round them, and leave the weakest to hang 

 loose ; do not tie them in too closely. In 

 this way they look much better than if 

 trained too formally. They will begin to 

 open their flowers during the early spring, 

 and will continue foi' two or three months 

 more or less in bloom. By April this 

 season they should be shifted into pots 

 from 4 to 6 inches larger, and treat them 

 as before ; use soil in a little rougher state. 

 Their general management through the 

 summer should be the same, in respect to 

 slight shading, syringing, stopping the 

 shoots and keeping them trained, Jis last 

 season. If all goes well they will last in 

 good condition for several years without 

 more root-room by the use of clear weak 

 liquid manure-water once or twice a week 

 during their growing season. 



If required for exliibition purposes they 

 must be placed, at the beginning of 

 February, in a house with a northern 

 aspect to be retarded, as from their early 

 blooming disposition they would, if left 

 in a house where exposed to the full action 

 of the sun, be past their best before the 

 time required ; at the same time they must 

 not here be exposed to too much cold, or 

 they will not flower kindly. 



The following varieties are the best of 

 the genus : — 



C. Henchmannii. Is quite a different 

 habited plant from the others, ha\dng 

 small narrow leaves supported on slender 

 shoots ; the flowers are produced in pro- 

 fusion, but are not nearly so bright in 

 colour as the others. It is also a compara- 

 tively slow grower. The cultivation of 

 this species is similar to that recommended 

 for the others, except that it does not re- 

 quire so much stopping ; and we have 

 found it do best in peat and sand alone. 



C.Laim-enceanum. A tall-growing variety; 

 if grown as a trained specimen it must be 

 diligently attended to in stoppingthe shoots, 

 or it will get straggling. 



C. variuvi Chandlerii. This is a free 



