Greenlwme and Stove Flniifs. 



•217 



out, as much of the old soil may be re- 

 moved as can be got away without injuring 

 the roots. During this summer the plants 

 will attain a size that will enable them to 

 produce flowers as abundantly as may be ex- 

 pected, however long they are grown ; with 

 treatment such as advised they will usuall}- 

 last for years, but being essentially what 

 may be termed plants of small growth, 

 they have a better appearance, and are 

 more useful when cultivated in numbers of 

 medium size than when grown larger. 

 Consequently it is advisable to propagate 

 <a sufficient quantity of young ones each 

 year to take the place of those that get less 

 shapely and are not so well furnished. 

 This Impatiens is an excellent subject for 

 growing in small or medium-sized wire 

 baskets suspended over the paths, and in 

 no position is it seen to better advantage 

 when in flower ; but when so used, instead 

 of being trained upright, the shoots should 

 be tied in a horizontal position over the 

 edge of the basket. For this purpose it is 

 also better to use three or four of the 

 young- struck cuttings together. It is like- 

 wise better to keej) them in pots, plunging 

 these in the baskets, tilling up with sphag- 

 num, in which a few j^ieces of Lycopodium 

 are planted in the spring ; the appearance 

 of the baskets is thus much improved, and 

 the general eff'ect when the plants are in 

 bloom heightened. Their treatment in 

 other respects when in liaskets requires to 

 be in no way ditt'erent from that which is 

 advised for pot culture. When they flower 

 sufficiently early in the summer months 

 before the cool autumn weather sets in, 

 they may be put lor a few weeks in a con- 

 servatoiy, but not exposed duiing the time 

 to currents of cold air. 



There are several other species, some of 

 which attain a larger size than I. Jer(hjnia', 

 they strike easily and are grown on with 

 little ditiiculty ; cuttings put in early in 

 spring, and moved on as they require more 

 pot-room, mal^e handsome blooming plants 

 the same season, keeping on through most 

 of the summer andautimin. For ordinary 

 purposes it will be found better to propa- 

 gate stock of these each spring. 



I. flaccida. A dwarf bushy plant, that 

 bears bright purple flowers. From Ceylon. 



/. flaccida alba. A white-flowered form 

 of the preceding. 



/. repens. A dwarf species, with yellow 

 flowers. Ceylon. 



I. Sultani. A new species, with a dense 

 bushy habit ; it attains a considerable size, 

 and is a profuse bloomer, keeping on 

 through much of the autumn and winter, 

 as well as the summer season ; the flowers 

 are rose-coloured. It comes from Africa. 



Insects. — "We have never seen these Im- 

 patiens attacked by any of the usual stove 

 pests, except greenfly, for the destruction 

 of which fumigate repeatedly, but not too 

 severely. 



INDIGOFERA. 



The Indigoferas are a large genus of 

 plants found in various parts of the world, 

 the East Indies, West Indian Islands, Cape 

 of Good Hope, New Holland, China, &c. 

 Few of the species are worth a place, and 

 even the most favourite greenhouse kind, 

 I. decora, is now seldom seen. They thrive 

 under tieatment such as recommended for 

 Cassia Corymbosa, which see. 



The following two species are among the 

 best : — 



I. australis. An evergreen shrub that 

 bears pink flowers. From New South 

 Wales. 



I. decora. An evergreen shrub from 

 China, with pink flowers, produced in 

 summer. 



IPOMCEA. 



One of the handsomest of Ipomoeas is I. 

 Horsfalliae, a species of smaller growth 

 than most of the genus ; it is a twiner, 

 and comes from the hot, moist regions of 

 Africa or East India, consequently there is 

 no use attempting its cultivation except 

 where there is enough heat at command to 

 keep it in a healthy state. When first it 

 became generally known it was to be met 

 with in most places where there was 

 sufficient heat, but now it is rarely seen, 

 and still seldomer in good condition, 

 although it is by no means difiicult to 

 cultivate when once it gets established. 

 It is not an easy subject to strike, being 

 (jne of the plants that used to be held up 

 by experts to young aspirants in the pro- 

 ]iagating department as a test of their 

 abilities". Yet, with a knowledge of the 

 light age and condition that the wood 

 should have attained when made into 

 cuttings, roots may be produced, but still 

 much more time is required than with 

 most other plants. A knowledge of the 

 exact state the wood should be in M'hen 

 made into cuttings is difficult to convey 

 in writing, and can only be acquired by 

 practice and observation. So far as our 

 own i:)ractice goes we have been able to 

 succeed best when the cuttings were made 

 from the preceding year's shoots imme- 

 diately after flowering about the end of 

 February ; if these are inserted singly in 

 small pots half filled with a mixtuie of 

 peat and silver sand, the remainder all 



