POINSETTIA. 



378 



POMPONES. 



of plums, mostly taken from Bunyard's 

 "Fruit Farming for Profit." Damson 

 plums are marked (D) : 



1. Victoria. 



2. Early Orleans. 



3. The Czar. 



4. Mitchelson. 



5. Kent Diamond. 



6. Prince Engel- 



bert. 



5. Belgian Purple. 

 . Cox's Emperor. 

 9. Rivers' Early 



Prolinc. 

 10. Pershore. 

 TI. White Magnum 

 Bonum, 



12. Pond's Seedling. 



13. Old Greengage. 



14. Sultan. [pote. 



15. Autumn Com- 



16. Belle de Septem- 



bre. 



17. Gisborns. 



18. Prince of Wales. 



19. Grand Duke. 



20. Blue Prolific (D). 



21. Goliath. 



22. La Delicieuse. 



23. Old Orleans. 



24. Deniston's Su- 



perb. 



25. Kentish Cluster 



(D). 



26. Cheshire or 



Shropshire (D). 



27. Prune (D) 



28. Frogmore Dam- 

 son (D). 



Poinsettia. See Euphorbia for culture. 



Polyanthus (nat. ord. Primula'cese). 



This flower is a primula, and is said to 

 be derived from a cross between a cowslip 

 and a primrose, partaking of the nature of 



POLYANTHUS. 



the former in the number of its florets, and 

 of the latter in their form. They are 

 generally classified as gold laced, these 

 having flowers with a brilliant yellow edge 

 round the outer part of the petals ; fancy ; 

 and hose-in -hose. 



After flowering, divide the roots of the 

 best plants intended for preservation. This 

 operation must be performed every year, 

 or the flowers will soon degenerate. Fresh 

 soil and continual division is the only plan 

 with all florists' flowers which give out off- 

 sets. As the polyanthus seeds freely, an 



infinite variety may be obtained by those 

 who will take the trouble to select or pur- 

 chase seed and sow it. The seed should 

 be sown late in the autumn, for moderate 

 sunlight only is required to bring up the 

 seed, and the young plants will not stand 

 the scorching sun of summer. Sow in 

 boxes, or pans well drained, filled with 

 light rich mould. The seed must be very 

 lightly covered indeed, it may almost lie 

 upon the surface. The boxes should be 

 placed under glass, and sparingly watered. 

 They require no artificial heat. When 

 divided in the summer after flowering, the 

 young plants should be removed to the 

 reserve garden, and allowed to remain 

 there until they are removed to their bloom- 

 ing quarters in late autumn or early spring. 



Polygonatum (nat. ord. Lilia'cese). 



The scientific name of a genus of pretty 

 herbaceous perennials, of which the best 

 known is Polygonatum multiflorum, com- 

 monly called Solomon's Seal. Its feather- 

 like habit of growth, consisting of pairs of 

 light green leaves, from bottom to top of a 

 light bending stem, with pendulous, green 

 and white, flowers springing and hanging 

 I from the axils of the leaves, renders it a 

 highly ornamental and desirable border 

 plant. It thrives in any good garden soil, 

 and will grow in the shade. It is propa- 

 gated by division of the large fleshy roots. 



Pompones. 



Pom pones, or Lilliputian Chrysanthe- 

 mums, form a very valuable addition to this 

 tribe of flowers. Beautiful, though small, the 

 pompone will bear any amount of looking 

 into, yet it seems more specially designed 

 to set off and act by way of contrast to its 

 larger rivals, whether it be in the parterre 

 or in the vases of the drawing-room. There 

 is no difference in the method of cultiva- 

 ting these small varieties. For the method 

 j of culture see Chrysanthemums. As new 



