GOMPHOLOBIUM. 



Greenhouse and Stove Plania 



191 



sprinkling of sand ; shade, and keep the 

 atmosphere of the house close and moist 

 until the little plants have begun to grow 

 away freely, when give a little more air, 

 stopping the shoots to help the lower eyes 

 to break ; syringe overhead lightly in the 

 afternoons, and keep the material on which 

 the pots are stood damp. Shade when the 

 sun is at all powerful, and give water to 

 the soil before it gets too dry ; continue to 

 treat in this way until the end of August, 

 before which a small stick or two will be 

 needed to support the shoots. After this 

 cease shading and syringing, and give more 

 air through the autumn ; winter in a 

 temperature of 46^ to 48° in the night, 

 standing the plants near the glass, where 

 they will keep on growing. About the 

 middle of March shift into 4-inch pots, in 

 soil similar to that of the first j^otting ; 

 pinch out the points of the shoots, and 

 lieep a genial growing atmospliere. As the 

 sun's power increases give a little shade in 

 the middle of the day, syringe overhead in 

 the afternoons at closing time, and keep the 

 material on which the pots stand damp. 

 Give more air as the summer approaches, 

 and about the end of June move into 

 6-inch pots ; treat subsequently as hitherto 

 advised, again stop the .shoots, and give 

 more sticks, to which keep the shoots 

 trained. Dispense Avith shade and the use 

 of the syringe as the autumn comes on, and 

 winter at about 45°. At the end of March 

 the plants will be in a condition to remove 

 into larger pots. Being of moderate 

 growth they do not require nearly so much 

 I'oot-room as plants of laiger, moi'e vigorous 

 habit ; pots 2 inches larger will be sutli- 

 cient, except in the case of any jdant that 

 may be more than ordinarily full of roots. 

 Use good fibrous peat, at this plotting, about 

 the size of common acorns, not larger. This 

 is of importance with rather weak-gi'owing 

 subjects, for if used in a bigger state the 

 lumps, having in them no more sand than 

 the peat naturally contains, are unsuitable 

 for the roots of plants of this nature. Add 

 one-sixth of clean sand, as gritty and free 

 from dust as it can be obtained. Pot firm, 

 using the potting-stick to make the new 

 soil sufficiently close ; place the plants 

 where they can be kept a little closei' for 

 two or three weeks, and shade slightly. 

 Each plant should at this time have about 

 a dozen thin sticks placed to it, over which 

 the shoots should be evenly dispersed, 

 training all over the surface and keeping 

 the base well furnished. This must be 

 attended to from the first, or there will be 

 some diflficulty in remedying the defect 

 afterwards. Use thin bast to tie the shoots 

 with, and do not allow them to twine 



round the sticks so as to get too fast a hold. 

 Do not let them intertwine with each 

 other and become twisted cord-like, or 

 they AviU get injured when being undone. 

 By the end of April the plants should, 

 if all goes well with them, be growing 

 apace. They will at this stage of develop- 

 ment be benefited by a dash with the 

 syringe every afternoon — get well under 

 the leaves and occasionally turn them 

 round, so that all sides may get the benefit 

 of the water, which they require to keep 

 down red spider. In the summer season 

 stand them on a bed of ashes, or ashes 

 with a little sand mixed. Keep this re- 

 gularly damped morning and evening, and 

 this will materially assist them. As soon 

 as the bloom buds, which they will push 

 freely, get large enough to handle, they 

 should be jsicked ofi' before they expand, or 

 the plant's natural disposition to free 

 flowering, even in a small state, will 

 mateiially interfere with the growth they 

 ought to make. By the end of June, or 

 beginning of July, they should need a 

 second shift, to i)ots again 2 inches larger, 

 using soil similar in every way to that 

 used in spring. At this warm season they 

 will need to be kept closer, and to have 

 more shade for some days, and will also 

 require an abundant supply of water 

 thrown about the paths and under the 

 stages, as well as on the bed on which they 

 stand. They will likewise now want a 

 few more sticks to support the extending 

 shoots. In a fortnight or three weeks they 

 will get hold of the new soil, and will bear 

 more air and do with only such shade as 

 will break the sun's rays in the middle of 

 the day. Through the autumn gradually 

 inure them to plenty of air and all the 

 sunlight possible, so as to get the growth 

 ripened before winter comes, when they 

 niust receive less water at the loots, and be 

 treated in other respects as advised before. 

 Pot again in Apiil, as in the preceding 

 season, using the soil in a little rougher 

 state. They should now bear a 3-inch 

 shift, and as soon as potted ought to be 

 taken off' the sticks, and new ones put in 

 of a sufficient length to support the plants 

 for the season; disperse the shoots, as 

 previously, evenly ovei' them. 



After potting treat as before, so far as 

 the necessary shade, air, and moisture in 

 the atmosphere are concerned. If the 

 plants do well they will this season show a 

 profusion of flowers, which may be allowed 

 to open, as they will make beautiful 

 objects for decoration, and can be used for 

 this purpose in the conservatory or else- 

 where ; but while in such situations they 

 must have a good position, where they 



