THE FLORIST MANUAL. 



by the majority of our florists more 

 profitable to import those plants that 

 are wanted for our spring sales, as the 

 price of well grown, compact plants is 

 very low and they endure the passage 

 without the slightest injury. Any plants 

 unsold after flowering s hould be cut 

 back about half the previous summer s 

 growth, shifted if needed, and plunged 

 outside during summer. This applies 

 especially to A. armata, so largely grown 

 for Easter. Few insects of any kind 

 attack the acacia; plenty of water at 

 all times and syringing except when in 

 flower is what they want. 



A. pubescens is not adapted for pot 



culture, but is the most graceful of all 

 the genus, and for cutting as sprays is 

 most valuable. It should be planted 

 out either as a standard or against a 

 pillar or wall. The most valuable spe 

 cies for pot culture for the commercial 

 florist is armata, small globular flow 

 ers which cover the whole plant; deal- 

 bata, strong grower with handsome 

 yellow racemes ; Drummondii, a fine 

 compact plant with drooping, cylin 

 drical lemon colored flowers. There 

 are hundreds of species, most all wor 

 thy of a place in a conservatory, but 

 the few species mentioned above are 

 the best for commercial use. 



Acack Armata as an Easter Plant. 



ACALYPHA. 



A genus of tropical shrubs that are 

 grown entirely for the attractiveness of 

 the leaves excepting A. Sanderi, which 

 has long, cylindrical,, pendulous flowers 

 and is very ornamental. The acalypha 

 is grown largely in Europe as an orna 

 mental stove plant, but with us its chief 

 value is as a summer bedding plant 

 for mixed borders or subtropical beds. 

 As most all the species are from the 

 tropical islands of the Pacific, their 

 requirements can be judged accordingly. 

 The most economical way to produce 

 plants for spring use is to lift a few 

 old plants before any danger of frost. 

 These could be used for decorating till 

 January, then shorten back the shoots, 

 and if the plants are in a strong heat 

 they will soon give you a number of 

 young growths, which root readily in 

 the sand in a good bottom heat and by 

 end of May, if kept warm, will be just 

 what you want for planting out in 

 spring. A well enriched loam is all 

 they want. A few of the most desirable 

 varieties for subtropical bedding are: 

 Triumphans, light red shaded darker; 

 Bicolor compacta, bright green margined 

 and blotched with yellow; Marginata, 

 dark olive and rose; Miltoniana, bright 

 green edged white. 



Sanderi is the species grown both for 

 a bedding plant and for conservatory 

 decoration. When in fine condition its 

 long, pendant, rope-like, bright red flow 

 ers make it a most unique and attractive 

 plant. For pot culture it must be kept 

 shifted or it will soon become shabby. 

 Propagate this species from half ripened 

 wood during winter. 



ACANTHOPHOENIX. 



A. crinita is a remarkably handsome 

 warm house palm that has been in 

 cultivation for the past thirty years, 

 but is still rather an uncommon spe 

 cies. It has much the habit of growth 

 of an areca, the leaves being pinnate, 

 the leaflets long and drooping, and the 

 plant in general very graceful in ap 

 pearance. 



One of the characteristics that dis 

 tinguish acanthophoenix from areca is 

 very distinct in the species in question, 

 namely, the fact that the former is 

 abundantly supplied with long, black 

 ish spines all along the stems, while 

 no true areca bears spines, and in ad 

 dition to this the under side of the 

 leaves of A. crinita is silvery white. 

 The latter peculiarity doubtless ac 

 counted for an erroneous name under 

 which this palm was once introduced 

 that is, Calamus dealbata. 



Being a native of Seychelles, and 

 probably of low, moist land near the 

 coast of that island, we find that this 

 palm is best suited under stove culture 

 a night temperature of 70 degrees 

 and plenty of water being among the 

 chief essentials to its welfare, while a 

 rather light and well drained soil 

 seems to give the best results. 



In common with palms in general 

 that require warm treatment, there is 

 the ever-present probability of finding 

 some injurious insects on acantho 

 phoenix, the most likely pests being 



