166 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
They then shed their leaves, and the young growth immediately 
follows. January is also the month to repot them, as they make 
their fresh roots and their young growth at the same time; so by 
giving them fresh soil then you are giving them what they naturally 
require. 
; BEAUCARNEA RECURVATA is well adapted for our purpose, not only 
for its elegant and graceful appearance, but also for its singular 
habit of growth. On the surface of the pot there is a large mass, 
as much resembling an elephant’s foot as anything I know, both ix 
colour and size, and springing from the centre of this mass is an 
upright tapering stem, which gives out a plentiful supply of graceful 
ribbon-like leaves, which fall evenly on all sides, like Dracena 
australis. The foliage is of the richest green and is both long and 
graceful. They require the same treatment as Dracenas, and it is 
an important point to give them plenty of water at all seasons. 
There is another variety equally desirable, named B. glauca. 1 
must add that both kinds are very expensive, but, for all that, I 
should not be doing justice to the subject in hand to pass them 
over. : 
The Srrenitz1A must now be considered. It is a family quite 
tropical in its character, with broad erect foliage; but the plant is 
seldom seen more than three feet in height, so is suitable for a low 
conservatory. It also blooms freely, so is doubly desirable; and 
such lovely bloom too, especially in the case of Strelitzia regina, the 
colour being brilliant scarlet, and resembling in shape a gladiolus, 
but much larger and broader. There are six well-known varieties of 
this plant, and all from the Cape of Good Hope, viz., S. regina, 
S. angusta, with banana-like leaves; S. ovata, with oval-shaped 
shiny leaves; S. farinosa, with a mealy-like down over the stem and 
leaves; S. angustifolia, with narrow long leaves; and 8. parvifolia, 
the dwarfest of the whole, with narrow rush-like leaves. As I 
before said, all are from South Africa, and will all thrive well side 
by side with Cape heaths ; but they require somewhat different soil, 
viz., yellow turfy loam, brown peat, sand, and leaf-mould, in equal 
quantities. Let the pots be well drained, and from March to 
October supply them with plenty of water; and during the winter 
months give them a scason of rest; but even then do not let them 
be distressed for want of it, but just give them enough to keep them 
from becoming dust-dry; they will then quite ripen and harden 
themselves. And in the spring, before watering them freely again, 
give them a top-dressing, and they will then speedily start and 
grow, and will be almost certain to flower freely forthwith. I will 
just add that they like plenty of sunshine and air at all seasons. 
The Dammarta will take nearly any amount of rough usage, 
and still look well. All the varieties are fine-foliage plants, and all 
but hardy. They have large palmate leaves, and an upright sturdy 
growth, with leaves of a light refreshing green in a young state, 
gradually changing to a rich velvety green. D. australis is the 
cowrie-tree of New Zealand; D. orientalis, the pitch-pine of 
Amboina, is also known by the name of Agathis loranthifolia. 
D. Mooreii is an excellent kind, with broad, spreading, fan-like 
