THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



The best time to begin propagation is 

 early March, with the roots of plants 

 that have been grown on a bench for 

 winter flowering. The bouvardia roots 

 very slowly and unsatisfactorily from 

 the young top growths, and in ordinary 

 practice that is not considered a prac 

 tical method of propagating this plant. 

 We will begin with the roots. Don t 

 take the large roots near the base of 

 the plants, nor the thin, thread-like roots 

 of the widest growth. Choose the 

 growths between these. Cut them into 

 pieces about one-half or three-fourths of 

 an inch in length and distribute them 

 on a propagating bench, where you have 

 a good heat, as you would coarse seed, 

 pressing them into the sand. Then cover 

 with at least an eighth of an inch of 

 sand, pressing it down after covering. 

 Water sufficiently to keep moist, about 

 as you would other cuttings. In three 

 or four weeks young plants will be 

 springing up. When they have made 

 two or three leaves and are an inch high, 

 lift them from the sand and pot into 

 2-inch pots. 



The bouvardia is a tropical plant and 

 at no stage of its existence should it 

 be exposed to a low temperature. This 

 accounts for the very different treat 

 ment we give it from what is considered 

 right in western Europe. Plant out in 

 the open ground about the first of June, 

 or earlier, if you are in a latitude where 

 no late frosts appear. A very light, 

 rich soil is much the best adapted to 

 the wants of the bouvardia. Unless 

 there is a very long spell of hot, dry 

 weather, no watering is needed after 

 the first good watering when planted. 

 The growth that has started in the 

 greenhouse will continue to grow out 

 of doors, but that is of little conse 

 quence, and can before lifting be en 

 tirely cut away. It is the strong, vigor 

 ous growth that will spring from the 

 roots after being planted out that you 

 will depend on to give you flowers. They 

 want stopping about twice during the 

 summer. 



The lifting time will vary according 

 to where you are. In Buffalo we used 

 to lift about tne second week in Sep 

 tember. If later, and the weather 

 should be cold, they are much slower 

 in taking hold of the soil in their new r 

 quarters. A very good plan is to do 

 the last pinching a week or so before 

 you lift them. The break from this 

 last stopping will then come in. about 

 right for the holidays. Plant in five 

 inches of good loam, and as to distance 

 apart, be guided by size of the plants. 

 A foot apart is little enough for any 

 of them. Anybody, with almost any tem 

 perature, can get the first crop of bou 

 vardia, but to get them to make a 

 growth and a profitable crop of flowers 

 again in March requires heat. Unless 

 they are kept in a night temperature 

 of at least 60 degrees and syringed 

 daily, they will just stand still after 

 their first crop is over. The rampant 

 way they grow and flower when the warm 

 sun of April comes shows you what they 

 want. 



They can, of course, be grown in 

 pots, but do far better and are more 



easy to manage planted on a bench in 

 a light, warm house. 



If at the end of March you need 

 the bench for some other crop you can 

 cut down the bouvardias to within a 

 few inches of the bench, lift them, 

 shaking off all the soil, and place them 

 close together in flats with three or four 



BROMELIADS. 



Except the variegated pineapple (see 

 Ananas) there are few or none of 

 these curious plants that are of any 

 commercial value, though among them 

 are some beautiful and interesting 

 plants. The Buffalo Botanic Gardens 



Begonia Minicata. 



inches of moist soil around them, and 

 put under a bench where there is not 

 much drip, and they will do there all 

 right till planting out time. The old 

 plants will of course be much larger 

 thsffc those propagated the first year. 



Eed spider attacks them and so does 

 mealy bug, but their presence is in 

 excusable, for a proper use of the hose 

 will prevent both. Greenfly will ap 

 pear if fumigation is neglected, but be 

 careful to smoke lightly, particularly 

 when the plants are first housed, for 

 they burn readily. 



In lifting I cannot say as you can 

 about carnations, &quot;Let all the soil tum 

 ble off if it will, so long as I save 

 every fiber,&quot; for they do not lift so 

 well, or rather do not recuperate so 

 quickly. Lift carefully with a good 

 ball of earth and for the first week 

 shade and syringe frequently. The bou 

 vardia is worth the care it requires, for 

 if well grown the price realized is usu 

 ally satisfactory. 



now possess the very valuable collec 

 tion brought together by the former firm 

 of Pitcher & Manda, with many ad 

 ditions, making it the most complete 

 collection in this country, and it is in 

 the finest possible condition. 



Besides the ananas, the most familiar 

 genera are the tillandsia and the bro- 

 melia. The leaves are stiff, variously 

 colored, and fluted or concave, always 

 carrying the moisture to the base of the 

 leaf, the flowers are often handsome. 

 They are mostly from tropical Amer 

 ica. 



Propagation is by offsets or suckers, 

 which, when separated from the old 

 plant, should be potted and plunged in 

 a good heat. They are grown in pots 

 or baskets, which should be drained 

 with a third of crocks, and the com 

 post should be fern roots and sphag 

 num. They require heavy shade in the 

 summer and must be frequently 

 syringed. It .is the moist atmosphere 

 they delight in. 



