CULTURE OF THE TROP^OLUM. 25 



Trop^olum RA^"DII. — A very fine seedling of Mr. Breck's ; a very 

 vigorous grower ; the writer has, in one summer, had one side of a large 

 greenliouse covered by a small plant. This variety has the desirable prop- 

 erty of blooming equally well as a border plant in the summer, and in the 

 greenhouse in winter. The color of the flower is brilliant yellow; the base 

 of each petal marked with a round black spot ; the flowers are often veined 

 ■with purplish red, sometimes very deeply, and, from a large plant, often 

 dozens of blossoms, all of diflferent shades, may be gathered ; this is partic- 

 ularly the case in the greenhouse ; in the border the colors are more 

 constant. This is probably from its abundant flowers and free habit the 

 most popular variety, of its color, among gardeners for bouquet purposes, 

 and, though of comparatively recent introduction, is very widely dissemi- 

 nated. Propagated by cuttings ; seeds sparingly. 



Teop^olum minus cocciiNEUM. — A very pretty variety in the style ofT. 

 Breckii, already described; raised easily from seed. 



We now come to describe a few varieties which we are at a loss how to 

 class. Some of them, to our knowledge, have never been shown at our 

 exhibitions, or grown in this neighborhood ; Avhile others, more common, 

 partake of the characteristics of more than one of the above classes. 



Trop^olum umbellatum. — Flowers umbellate, of a rich orange red 

 color, tinged with green ; a very free flowerer ; a native of Peru. 



TropjEolum spEs. — A curious variety; plant covered with a glaucous 

 hue ; leaves, many cleft, rotate ; flowers greenish white, of no beauty. In- 

 troduced about 1847 ; very rare. 



T. MoRETZiANUM. — A Very showy variety, properly belongs to the class 

 of T. majus ; color orange and yellow ; the seeds came from Cumana in 

 1840 ; the root is inclined to be bulbous, and after the plant is killed by the 

 frost may be taken up and preserved, like a dahlia, till another season. 

 Propagated by cuttings. A pretty and by no means rare variety. 



Trop^olum perigrinum, ADUJNCUM OR CANARiENSE. — Commonly known 

 as canary bird flower. A very lovely and popular variety ; grows about ten 

 feet high, and blooms well if the soil is not too rich. It is commonly culti- 

 vated as a summer border plant, but will bloom well in the greenhouse. 

 To this end plants should be struck during the summer, and grown with 

 plenty of light and air ; let the soil be loam, and well rotted manure, with a 

 little sand ; do not give the roots too much pot-room, and water occasionally 

 with liquid manure. Plants may also be raised from seed, but they flower 

 less freely than those struck from cuttings. This lovely variety is too well 

 known to need description. 



Trop^olum polyphyllum. — Imported from Valparaiso ; hardy in Eng- 

 land without protection ; this variety forms large underground tubers, by 

 dividing which the plant is increased, each eye forming a plant. It should 

 be planted about four inches deep in a border, with dry sandy loam, about 

 the first of June; the flowers will be produced about August. The leaves 

 are divided into numerous narrow segments ; the flowers are of a light 

 orange hue, and are produced on long footstalks beyond the leaves ; it is a 

 free flowerer, but, we believe, is rarely cultivated in this country ; seeds 

 sparingly. 



