ON THE CULTURE OF MUSA COCCINEA AND THUNBERGIA ALATA. 39 



stove-plant it will live in a greenhouse through winter if properly 

 managed. It being very impatient of too much water in the winter 

 months, where there is neither pine nor plant-stove, water must be 

 used with caution. 



To flower it well it should be raised from fresh suckers every year, 

 taking the sucker off in June, and pot it into a No. 12 sized pot. 

 The soil must be a rich, loamy one, and be rendered porous with leaf 

 mould, and in July, or when the pot is full of roots, to be potted into 

 a No. 8, putting an inch of broken potsherds in the bottom of the 

 pot, and an inch of moss over the potsherds ; and in August to he 

 potted into a No. 6 pot, and giving it abundance of water, and like- 

 wise syringing it frequently over head, keeping it in a vigorous grow- 

 ing state until the middle of September, then the water to be gra- 

 dually withheld until the plant gets rather into a dormant state, just 

 giving enough to keep it alive. It must be treated in that manner 

 until the first vinery be started forcing, when it must be removed into 

 it, and as soon as it commences growing it should be repotted into a 

 No. 4 pot, watering it more according as it grows, and as soon as it 

 fills the pot repot it into a No. 2, which will flower it well. By fol- 

 lowing these simple rules it will bloom so as amply to repay for any 

 attention. 



I beg also to make a few observations on the Thunbergia alata, 

 and alata alba : it is but occasionally that we see any of the Thun- 

 bergias grown to perfection, they invariably have that speckled, sickly 

 appearance. Now the beauty of all plants, especially those with 

 light coloured, is greatly increased by being contrasted with a deep 

 green foliage ; this may be obtained in the Thunbergia by the follow- 

 ing treatment : the compost to grow it properly should consist of one- 

 half of light turfy loam, one-third leaf mould, one-sixth heath soil, 

 and one-eighth of well decomposed cow dung, the whole to be well 

 mixed. If the plants have to be raised from seed, they ought to be 

 sown as early in the season as possible, and the pots plunged up to 

 the rim in a brisk heat in a cucumber frame ; and when the plants 

 are four or five inches high should be potted off into 48's, and shaded 

 a little until they take hold and commence growing ; then they ought 

 to be stopped by pinching the top of the leading shoots and removed 

 into the vinery or stove, as Thunbergias thrive best in a heat from 

 65 to T5 degrees, and should be frequently syringed with water heated 



