204 BOaVARDIA TRIFHTLLA. — GREEN MOSS ON ROSE TREES. 



ON THE BOUVARDIA TRIPHYLLA. 



BY CLKRICUS. 



About the middle of April I collect all my plants together from the 

 places wiiere tliey have been kept through the dormant season, — some 

 among my orange tubs, some in cold frames, and others under the 

 stage of the green-house. I turn them all out of their pots, shaking 

 the soil from their roots, and trim off most of the large roots, yet retain 

 as many of the fine fibrous ones as possibLe. At tlie same time 1 cut 

 down all the shuots of the former year, leaving only two, three, or four 

 eyes on each, according to the strength and age of the plants, and take 

 care neither to over-pot them nor to cramp the roots by confinement. 

 AVhen I liave got all potted and watered, in order to settle the earth 

 about their roots, I place them in a cold frame, wliich I cover with 

 hay and mats at night. I keep tlie light close during tlie night, and 

 even in the day, unless the sun is very strong upon them, till tiiey 

 begin to grow, when I give them portions of air according to the 

 weather and their advance in growth. Subsequently I leave tlie lights 

 off through tiie day, and at last do not put them <m at night. About 

 a week after they have been thus exposed, 1 plant tliem out finally for 

 the season either in clumps by themselves, or distributed among other 

 plants, where they are seen in fine bloom till autumn. As soon as 

 I apprehend frost, I take up tlie plants with balls of earth attached to 

 the roots, and place them carefully in pots with good mellow soil. 

 When tiiey are replaced in pots and watered, those wliich are in lux- 

 uriant blossom I mix among the greenhouse plants, where they make 

 a magnificent appearance till January. I continue to adopt this treat- 

 ment, and it may be pursued lor many years ; for llie application of 

 fresh soil, the trimming of the old roots, and the great luxuriance 

 gained by growing in summer in the open ground, renovate the plants, 

 which could not be done by any other means of culture. I propagate 

 Bouvardias by cuttings of the roots, as the thick old roots annually 

 cut away under the treatment here detailed alibrd the means of propa- 

 gating the plants to an unlimited extent. 



GREEN MOSS ON ROSE TREES AND OTHER 

 SHRUBBERY PLANTS. 



Mamy readers of the CABI^'ET must have observed in their walks 

 through a shrubbery the unsightly appearance of the stems and trunks 

 of rose-bushes and larger shrubs, being entirely destitute of bark. Is 

 it a natural disease incident to old trees ? I am inclined to think that 

 this is not the case, for I have seen comparatively young trees covered 

 as much as the old ones. It will be observed tliat trees on rocks, on 

 •walls, on soil, and, in fact, on everything that is exposed to tlie action 

 of the atmosphere in a fixed state, have a green covering, wldcii, when 

 minutely examined, appear like a green powder, and, if allowed to 

 remain, would form into patches of moss. This seems to be tlie most 

 minute of the vegetable creation, and I believe the very foundation of 

 it, and but for the industry of man this would be the clotiiing that 



