138 



Greenlwuse and Stove Plants. 



CYRTOCERAS, 



light, but not much sun, until they Lave 

 become more fully established, ivhen they 

 shoulfl be removed to 5 or 6 inch pots. 

 It will succeed in either peat or loam, but 

 ■\ve prefer the latter when it can be had of 

 good quality with plenty of turfy fibre in 

 it. "Whilst the plants are small, it should 

 be broken fine ; add about one-sixth of 

 sand, according to the nature of the loam, 

 and drain the pots well, as the plant cannot 

 endure stagnant water. This Cyrtoceras 

 does not make a large quantity of roots ; 

 consequently it must never be overpotted, 

 and care should be taken not to give too 

 much water, especially until the soil has 

 got well tilled with roots. As soon as they 

 have started fairly into growth, the points 

 of the shoots ought to be taken out to 

 cause them to break, as it has a natural 

 tendency, if not checked, to extend witliout 

 branching sufficiently. During the summer 

 the night tenq^erature should be kept 

 about 70°, and air with a thin shade given 

 in the daytime when the heat rises to 

 80° ; syringing overhead in the afternoons 

 will assist growth. Continue the above 

 treatment until the weather begins to get 

 cooler ; then discontinue the use of the 

 syringe, as also shading, gi\'ing more air 

 and less water to the soil. Through the 

 winter a night temperature of 60° will be 

 sufficient, keeping the plants in the lightest 

 and driest part of the stove. About the 

 beginning of February give them 5° more 

 heat in the night, with a corresponding 

 increase in the day, but do not re^jot until 

 the roots have got well into motion ; and 

 as one shift in the season will Ije quite 

 sufficient, it is well not to move them till 

 April, when they should be put into pots 

 3 inches larger, now using the soil in a 

 little more lumpy state. 



Tie the branches well out, bending them 

 down close to the rim of the pot — this will 

 haA^e the effect of causing young shoots to 

 push up fzom the collar ; at the same time 

 pinch out the points of those existing. As 

 the weather gets warmer increase the 

 night temperature to 70° and propor- 

 tionately more in the day, with a little 

 shade, damping overhead when the house 

 is closed. All that will be requisite during 

 the summer will be a continuance of the 

 treatment recommended. Most likely a 

 few flowers will be produced by the 

 strongest shoots, but it \\\\\ not be advisable 

 to move them out of the stove, as the 

 object will be to get them to make as much 

 growth as possible. In the course of the 

 summer the tops of the strongest shoots 

 may be tied clown ; this will still further 

 induce them to break back, and at this 

 staL'e of their ei'0\\th will be found more 



effectual than stopping, which latter opera- 

 tion does not always cause this plant to 

 branch out several slioots as in the case of 

 the majority of things. Treat through the 

 autumn and winter as before. Again in 

 spring give more heat as the advancing 

 season demands it, and move into pots 3 

 inches larger, tying the branches well out 

 so as to leave the plants quite open in the 

 centre to still further induce the formation 

 of young groAvth from the base. This 

 Cyrtoceras is one among a number of 

 subjects that require especial treatment in 

 this respect, for if left to its own course it 

 would spire up to a considerable height 

 and become naked at the bottom ; whereas 

 if the strong shoots are kept well tied out, 

 the position to which they are thus bent 

 causes them annually to produce fresh 

 growth from the bottom, which takes the 

 place of any branches that become denuded 

 of leaves at the base and which should be 

 removed. If the progress made is satis- 

 factory, the plants will this summer bloom 

 freely, each shoot producing a number of 

 their epaulette-like bunches of flowers. 

 After the flowers are formed it is better not 

 to syi'inge overhead, as this sometimes has 

 the eft'ect of causing them to drop off. 



The subsequent treatment of the plants 

 will require to be similar to that so far 

 advised. "WHien grown to their full size, 

 13 or 14 inch pots are, as a rule, large 

 enough for them. After they are fully 

 developed they should be turned out of the 

 pots each spring, the drainage examined, 

 and such of the iipper portion of the soil 

 as is not occupied by roots should be re- 

 moved and replaced with new. When 

 they have arrived at a size such as we now 

 suppose them to be, they will be much 

 benefited, during the summer, by lic^uid 

 manure once a week, but in using it for 

 this and similar spare-rooted plants it must 

 never be given either so strong or in such 

 quantities as for naturally robust growers ; 

 it is even necessary to lie careful never to 

 apply water at all until the soil is some- 

 what drier than in the case of most stove 

 plants, or destruction of the roots Avill, 

 sooner or later, be the result, especially 

 dui'ing the winter, when no' growth is 

 progi'essing. We may add that when this 

 plant is thus injured at the roots it has not 

 the power to recuperate itseK, like many 

 others. 



IxsECTS. — The leaves of this Cyrtoceras 

 are of too tough and leathery a nature to 

 be much hurt by the attacks of such 

 insects as thrips, aphides, or red spider, 

 except when these are allowed to get 

 to a considerable head ; yet the insects 

 will live upon them, especially if the 



