114 



Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 



will prevent damping. They will root in 

 a very short time, after which place them 

 where they will receive a fair amount of 

 light for a few weeks ; then move them 

 into 6 or 7 inch pots. The soil should 

 consist of four parts good turfy loam to 

 one of rotten manure and sand in equal 

 quantities ; press it firmly in the pots, and 

 pinch out the points of the shoots to induce 

 a branching habit ; let them have plenty 

 of light, and water freely. When the roots 

 have begun to move well they will bear a 

 temperature of 70° at night and 10° higher 

 with sun heat, syringing overhead at the 

 time the house is closed. When the shoots 

 have grown three or four joints past the 

 point at which they were first stopped, 

 they should be again stopped. By the 

 end of July they will want moving into 

 10 or 11 inch pots, but this time do not 

 break the soil fine ; each pot should now 

 have four or five sticks, a yard high, placed 

 just inside the rim round which to train 

 the shoots ; very little shade is required, 

 full exposure to the light l)eing necessary 

 to induce their flowering profusely. Give 

 a moderate amount of air all through the 

 summer, and increase it in September, at 

 the same time discontinue the use of the 

 syringe. About the close of the month 

 water should be withheld from the soil 

 until the leaves flag considerably, after 

 which give a little to freshen them up, 

 again allowing the soil to become dry, so as 

 to cause the foliage to droop before water 

 is applied. Keep on rej^eating this process, 

 which will stop further extension of the 

 shoots, harden up the wood, and ultimately 

 cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall off ; 

 after that reduce the temperature to 55° 

 during the winter, giving no more water 

 than will just keep the soil slightly moist. 

 When starting them into growth, which 

 may be at any time from the end of Feb- 

 ruaiy to May, they must have the ball of 

 earth well moistened at the time when they 

 are subjected to a higher temperature. 

 This will be best managed by soaking them 

 in a pail of tepid water, letting them 

 stand, pot and all, in it for twelve hours. 

 After this raise the heat 5°, at the same 

 time training the shoots neatly round the 

 sticks. When they have made a few inches 

 of growth the temperature may be raised to 

 65° at night, giving 8° or 10° more during 

 the day. Syringe regularly overhead in the 

 afternoon. In a few weeks they will 

 show flower, which will grow rapidly, 

 and as a rule begin to open in eight 

 weeks from the time when the plants were 

 first started. If bloomed early it will 

 be necessary to keep them in a tempera- 

 ture similar to that in which they have 



been brought on, but if not flowered until 

 later they may be moved when in bloom 

 to a conservatory, where they will last in 

 good condition for several weeks. After 

 this they can be at once shifted into 16 or 

 18 inch pots. The shoots should then be 

 untied from the sticks, cut back to 4 or 5 

 feet in length, and each plant trained near 

 the roof in a house or pit where they will 

 receive plenty of light, with a temperature 

 during summer such as that of the preced- 

 ing season, treating them in other respects 

 similarly, and drying them off in autumn 

 as before. After this a strong wire trellis 

 should be fixed on each pot, over which 

 the shoots may be evenly tied. Winter in 

 a similar temperature, and again bring 

 them into flower when required. After 

 blooming this season they should be well 

 cut back, turned out of their pots, and one- 

 third of the ball of earth removed, re- 

 placing them in the same pots in new soil, 

 and growing them through the season, as 

 recommended for the last. They will now 

 be benefited by manure-water when grow- 

 ing ; managed in this way, they will last 

 for several years. If required for planting 

 out, they should have a well-drained border 

 in which there is not too much room for 

 the roots, or over-luxuriant growth may be 

 the result. The soil ought to be similar to 

 that which has been ad\'ised for pot-culture, 

 drying the plants off similarly in autumn. 

 After the first season a little of the surface 

 soil should be removed each year, replacing 

 it with fresh material and giving manure- 

 water liberally ; prune well in each season 

 after flowering. C. Thomsonae and C. 

 Eollissonii will succeed under the same 

 treatment. 



Insects. — As regards insects, deciduous 

 Clerodendrons are not much subject to 

 them. Red spider will sometimes make 

 its appearance, and if not removed soon 

 injures the leaves. For this the best pre- 

 ventive is a free use of the syringe. The 

 shrubby species are often attacked by both 

 broAvn scale and mealy bug, but diligent 

 use of the syringe and sponging will keep 

 them in check. When they are headed 

 dowTi affected plants should be well washed 

 with insecticide. The large-leaved kinds 

 are sometimes infested with red spider if 

 the undersides of the leaves are not kept 

 well syringed. C. splendens and C. 

 speciosum should be treated in a like 

 manner if troubled with insects. 



CLETHRA. 



Handsome evergreen shrubs that grow 

 to a considerable size : verv effective either 



