182 Commercial Gardening 



attacks of Greenfly, which often infest the unopened buds and cripple 

 them. This pest is best kept down by vaporizing, or by syringing the 

 plants with nicotine, quassia, and soft-soap emulsions. 



Lobelia. The Bedding Lobelia is a cultivated form of L. Erinus, a 

 native of South Africa. It is grown in hundreds of thousands in small 

 pots, pans, or shallow boxes each year, and is a very popular plant for the 

 margins of borders or beds, and is also extensively used for carpet bedding 

 and other floral designs on the ground. The plants are not quite hardy, 

 and must therefore be protected in a greenhouse or warm frame during the 

 winter months. They are easily raised from seeds, cuttings, or division. 

 Seeds are sown in January or February on the surface of finely prepared 

 gritty soil in shallow boxes or pans, the seedlings being afterwards pricked 

 out about 1 in. apart in a similar compost. The tops are often used as 

 cuttings, being about 1 in. long, and inserted in gritty soil. Specially 

 fine varieties are usually propagated from cuttings to keep them true. In 

 autumn the old stock plants are placed in 3-in. or 5-in. pots, and kept close 

 to the glass during the winter months in a genial warmth. Early in the 

 new year, when growth becomes more vigorous, cuttings are freely pro- 

 duced and inserted in the way mentioned. Cuttings may be inserted in 

 autumn as well as spring, and seeds may also be sown at the same period; 

 but more space must be provided for the young plants thus produced. 



There are several varieties, mostly blue or purple, with a few white 

 ones; the best being: Barnard's Perpetual, Emperor William, Bluestone, 

 Blue King, Crystal Palace: pumila, magnified,, azurea, Royal purple, all 

 blue or purple, with a more or less conspicuous white eye; Mrs. Clibran, 

 violet purple, with a white eye; Kathleen Mallard is a good double- 

 flowered variety that has attracted some attention of late years. Amongst 

 the best white Lobelias are Snowball, Mrs. Murphy, nivea, White Lady, 

 White Pearl, White Gem, and White Perfection, all dense and compact in 

 habit. A compact variety called Golden Queen has golden leaves and rich 

 dark-blue flowers. 



Lobelia tenuoir is a greenhouse species about 1 ft. high, having cobalt- 

 blue flowers with a white eye. It is suitable for pots or hanging baskets, 

 and may be raised from seeds in the same way as the Bedding Lobelia. 



Marguerites. The Marguerite, or Paris Daisy, is a form of Chrysan- 

 themum (or Pyrethrum) frutescens, and grows wild as a shrubby perennial 

 in the Canary Islands. It may be raised from seeds sown in February 

 and March in the same way as Petunias, but market growers greatly prefer 

 to raise their stock from cuttings. There are now some millions of plants 

 raised in this way every year, and they find an ever-ready sale, varying 

 from 6s. to 18s. per dozen for plants in 5-in. pots, according to circumstances. 



Cuttings are taken in early spring, and also in autumn, from stock 

 plants which have been cut down to encourage a good crop of clean young 

 shoots. Those rooted in spring are useful for early winter work, and 

 those in autumn are largely used for summer bedding. Indeed, young 

 autumn-struck plants are sold in great numbers to the trade early in the 



