264 



Greenhouse and Stove Planta. 



the stove, but so ti-eated it does nothing 

 but grow, never getting enough re.?t to 

 ripen its wood prepar-atorv to flowering. 



The plant ifi easy of prr^pagation, grow- 

 ing freely from half-ripened cuttings, taken 

 off at any time of the year when they can 

 be obtained in such condition. If about 

 the beginning of August they are put 

 singly in small pwats half fiJled with 

 sand and loam, the remainder all sand, 

 stood in an inter-mediate temper-ature, 

 kept moderately close, moist and shaded 

 they will root in a few weeks, when they 

 should be exposed to the full air of the 

 house. 'VMien they begin to grow away 

 freely pinch out the points, and give them 

 a light position through the autumn in a 

 night temperature of 45° or 50' ; during 

 the depth of winter the lower of the above 

 temT>eiatures will be enough. Give suffi- 

 cient water to the soil to keep the roots 

 moving ; about the middle of ilarch move 

 into 3-inch pots, and as soon as they start 

 faiily into growth, again pinch out the 

 pjints of the shoots, Diiectly the sun 

 get? at all powerful shade in the daytime ; 

 ieep the atmosphere a little closer than 

 that of a gi-eenhouse, giving a moderate 

 amount of air, as the days get longer 

 syringe in the altemoons when the house 

 is closed, and by the end of June move 

 them into pots 3* inches larger, after which 

 continue to treat as before until the end of 

 August ; during the summer again stop 

 the leading shoots Dispeu-se with shading 

 and syiinging, and give more air through 

 the autumn, and winter in a temperature 

 of about 40' in the night. It will grow 

 well in either peat or loam, but we prefer 

 the latter where it can be had of^good 

 quality, containing plenty of fibre ; in 

 such it grows stronger and shorter-jointed, 

 and ha.s a greater disjx»sition to flower 

 freely than in peat. There is one thing 

 this Pleroma L? subject to suff'er from — t/X) 

 much exposure to strong sunlight ; in fact, 

 we often see it grown well in an old-fashioned 

 house glazed with small gla&s, and with 

 the accumulation of dirt imder the lajjs 

 UHuaUy found in such stmctures. When 

 it is gr<jwn in a very light house it must 

 l>e sightly shaded in bright weather, other- 

 wise its leaves become so much disfigured 

 as to seriously interfere with its ap]jear- 

 ance, even when well-flowered — we have 

 seen this injury occur in bright ilarch 

 weather. Xor should the plant be in the 

 winter time submitted to so low a tem- 

 I-*.iature as the generality of greenhouse 

 stock will bear ; 40' in the night is low 

 enough for it. 



Again towards the middle of March the 

 roots will be suffit^ientlv active to admit of 



their being moved into pots 3 inches larger; 

 add to the loam one- sixth clear, sharp sand, 

 drain well, and pot firmly, placing the 

 plants where they will be a little close, 

 without exposure to the sun's full rays. 



lliis Pleroma possesses what plant- 

 growers call a good habit, not being to<j 

 mu'.-h inclined to rim. up vrith. a few 

 straggling branches ; but, to ensure the 

 requisite eqirality of strength among the 

 shoots from the commencement, the lead- 

 ing ones should be stopped sutficiently to 

 cause an equal disposition of the sap in all 

 the branches near the base ; the omission 

 of this, in the first stages of the plant's 

 existence, destroys its after appearance, as 

 if the shoots near the base are weak they 

 soon die off to an extent not usual in most 

 plants. Train all the strongest shoots to 

 the outside of the pot — this will cause 

 the weaker ones to gain strength ; any that 

 appear to take the lead must have their 

 points pinched out all through the summer. 

 As the weather gets warmer again use the 

 syringe in the afternoons, damping the 

 imder as well as the upper surface of the 

 leaves, a? the plant is sometimes, although 

 not often, affected with spider. By the 

 middle of June, if they have made their 

 wonted progress, they will again require 

 potting, let them have another 3-inch shift, 

 and tLse soil similar to the first ; grow them 

 on as earlier in the season, giving them the 

 necessary attention in respect to water, 

 which they require in greater quantities 

 than most hardwooded greenhouse plants, 

 consequent upon their freer growth, and 

 much greater evaporating leaf surface ; 

 continue also to shade sufficiently to pre- 

 sence a healthy condition of the leaves. 

 The shading will have to be accommo- 

 dated to the character of the house — that 

 is, whether it is very light or otherwise. 

 i Admit sufficient air every day to induce 

 I short etout gr■o^vth, and by the end of 

 August discontinue the use of the syringe, 

 give more air and less shade. Keep through 

 the winter, as before ad^ised, in a night 

 temperature as near 40° as may be. The 

 plants must be tied into shape, which will 

 be easily done, from theij- natural sym- 

 metry. In the spring, aX the same time as 

 advised last year, rejx>t, giving a 3-inch shift, 

 and treat as in the pjreceding season in re- 

 spect to stopping, shading, and watering ; 

 close the house with a little sun upon it, 

 and at the same time maintain a suffi- 

 ciently humid condition of the atmo- 

 fc-phere in the evenings by using enough 

 water on the stages and paths. The plants 

 will not require a second shift this season, 

 and by the middle of July should receive 

 i a fuircomplement of air day and night. 



