178 



Greenhouse and iStoce Plaidt 



FRANCISCEA. 



most flowers. The peat should be of good 

 quality, coutaining plenty of undecomposed 

 vegetable fibre. For the first potting, 

 break the soil into bits the size of acorns, 

 and add one-sixth of clean sand ; drain the 

 pots sufficiently, and press the soil mode- 

 rately firm. Pinch out the points, at the 

 same time bending the leading shoot down 

 in a horizontal position, which will cause 

 more of the latent back-buds to break than 

 would otherwise happen if the principal 

 growth was allowed to remain upright. 

 They will grow in an intermediate tem- 

 perature, Vjut make more progress if kept 

 through the summer at 70° during the 

 night, with 10° or 15° higher in the day- 

 time. Do not allow the shading to remain 

 over them when the sun is not out ; for 

 although, as already stated, they cannot 

 bear direct sunshine, the leaves, if grown 

 with insufficient light, will be soft and 

 deficient in substance, light being indis- 

 pensable to vigorous health. Give air in 

 the early part of the day, but close suf- 

 ficiently soon to cause the temperature to 

 rise for an hour or two up to 90', syringing 

 overhead at the same time. They are fiee- 

 rooting subjects, and by the middle of 

 July will require another shift, into pots 

 3 inches larger ; at the same time pinch 

 out the points of the shoots and tie them 

 out so as to keep the plants open ; in other 

 respects treat them as before, and supply 

 them with plenty of water at the roots. 

 By the beginning of September they should 

 have more air, and the shading be decreased 

 but not altogether dispensed with until 

 the sun has less power. Though the dif- 

 ferent species will through the winter do 

 with a temperature of from 45° to 50°, it 

 wiU, in the early stages of their growth, be 

 advisable to keep them warmer, as the 

 object wiU be to get them on in size. A 

 temperature of 55° will be a suitable heat 

 for them until the end of February, when 

 it may be raised 5°. In March again give 

 them a shift into pots from 4 inches to 6 

 inches larger, according to the kinds, the 

 smaller varieties, such as F. Hopeana, F. 

 eximia, and F. Lindenii not requiring 

 nearly so much room as the stronger- 

 growing F. confertiflora and F. calycina. 

 A 12-inch or 13-inch pot is large enough 

 for a full-grown specimen of F. Hopeana, 

 which is the smallest ; whereas F. conferti- 

 flora, when at its full size, will need one 16 

 inches or 18 inches in diameter. In other 

 respects, as to soil, temperature, shade, and 

 moisture, similar treatment will answer 

 for all. Again pinch the points of the 

 shoots, tying them out, so as to well furnish 

 the base of the plants down to the rims of 

 the pots. As the season advances increase 



the temperature as before, and give shade, 

 air, and moisture as in the preceding 

 summer. By the middle of June they will 

 again require stopping, after which the 

 treatment will be of a routine description. 

 They will make good decorative plants the 

 coming spring, and to afibrd a succession it 

 will be necessary to make a difference in 

 the time during which some are allowed to 

 remain in heat after the last stopping. As 

 soon as the shoots have attained their full 

 length, which may be looked for in Se|)- 

 tember, a portion of the plants ought to be 

 at once moved to a cool house, where they 

 should have a moderate amount of air, but 

 be slightly shaded when the sun is bright, 

 as even at this time of the year, when its 

 power is fast waning, the leaves will be 

 much better not exposed to its full in- 

 fluence. The remaining portion of the 

 plants may be allowed to remain in heat 

 some weeks longer until the flower-buds 

 are quite visible, when they also should be 

 moved to cooler quarters ; give them less 

 water, but at no time must they be kept so 

 dry as many things require to be, or the 

 large-leaved ones will be found to flag when 

 air is given them, and the foliage will be 

 injured. They should be kept through 

 the winter at from 45° to 50\ A lower 

 temperature than this they do not like, 

 and anything above it will biing them into 

 flower too early in the spring. The plants 

 that were allowed to stay the longest in heat 

 until their bloom-buds were formed will 

 go on increasing them in size during the 

 winter, and will flower the eailiest, the 

 time being easily regulated by giving them 

 more or less warmth. Those that were 

 first taken out of heat will make little 

 progress until the days begin to lengthen, 

 when the increased solar warmth will 

 cause the buds to swell. They will keep 

 gradually, but slowly, increasing in size 

 until they expand. Plants thus managed 

 may be kept, placed in a north house a1 

 the end of April, to bloom in July ; in 

 aU cases shading when the sun is bright, 

 even as early as the beginning of March. 

 In their ability thus to set flowers in 

 a lower temperature than that in which 

 they have been gro-vvn they differ from 

 most plants. After blooming they should 

 have their shoots cut back, so as to keep 

 them bushy. If not shortened in each 

 season before they are started into growth, 

 they would soon get into a loose, straggling 

 condition. Again place them in heat ; 

 although they do not require it, they will 

 while growing bear as high a tempeiature 

 as most plants. As soon as they have 

 broken into growth they will require re- 

 potting ; give a shift proportionate to the 



