THE 



Canadian Horticulturist 



Vol XVIII. 



1895 



No. I. 





THE OXALIS. 



'OST of our housekeepers who are flower lovers have taken pleasure 

 in the thrift and daintiness of the old-fashioned Oxaiis rosea and 

 also Oxaiis alba, which they generally know as pink and white 

 Shamrock ; but they have not discovered half the possibilities of 

 this gem of plants. It embraces a number of species of pretty, 

 neat growing plants, e'egant in foliage and bloom, the latter being 

 produced in great profusion, and embracing a wide range of color. It is one 

 of the m':)st satisfactory of bulbs for window culture. For potting, use a good 

 rich soil with a sprinkle of sand in it, placing from one to three bulbs in a four 

 inch pot : stand in a dark cool place for a few weeks to root thoroughly, then 

 remove to a sunny situation in the window, or conservatory, in a temperature of 

 ab )ut 60' Fahr. One of the best varieties for window culture is Oxaiis alba 

 illustrated by the accompanying cut. It will be seen that this is not the old 

 Oxaiis alba, but an improved Oxaiis alba, having much larger blooms and of 

 which the foliage branches out from a parent stem. Its dwarf, spreading habit 

 and profuse bloom make it unsurpassed as a table plant. Flowers and leaves 

 fold at night and open in the morning as with the old variety ; unless the plant 

 is grown in a partially shaded situation, when the flowers remain open all night. 

 Oxaiis Bermuda buttercup, the newest of yellows, is of more luxuriant growth, 

 and blooms in greater profusion than Oxaiis alba ; one bulb will be sufficient for 

 a five or six inch pot. The flowers are of purest buttercup-yellow, and of great 

 substance. Well-grown plants have produced as many as seventy-five flower- 

 stems and over one thousand blooms in one season. The bulbs of this Oxaiis 

 have been grown in the congenial soil an.l climate of Bermuda, until the bulbs 



