FOLIAGE PLANTS 385 



October. Beds once established should last three or 

 four years. 



Just before cutting in October, water should be with- 

 held to harden the foliage, giving better keeping qualities 

 to the smilax. After cutting, the plants should have a 

 resting period, therefore they should be kept dry for two 

 weeks. Then the bed should be top-dressed with about 

 two inches of stable manure, watered thoroughly, and 

 the strings placed for the next crop. Tying should 

 not be neglected, or the strings will be of little value 

 (Fig. 44). 



Asparagus plumosus may be grown the same as smilax. 

 It requires a high house, for the strings are long. Often 

 the best sprays do not develop until the plants have made 

 a considerable height growth. The growth of asparagus 

 is slower than smilax, and the first crop will not be ready 

 to cut before the end of the second year. When once es- 

 tablished, it lasts for years, and usually improves for eight 

 or ten years. Both smilax and Asparagus plumosus like 

 partial shade, and houses should be shaded, especially 

 during the spring and summer (Fig. 45). 



Asparagus Sprengeri is grown in beds, but it is also an 

 excellent potted plant. It is compact and symmetrical 

 in its habit of growth, and is best propagated by seeds 

 sown the same as smilax. 



629. Caladiums, botanical classification. Order, 

 Araceae ; genus, Caladium (name of unknown origin) ; 

 the species of most importance are : bicolor ; picturatum; 

 Humboldtii. Elephant's ear, or garden caladium, is bo- 

 tanically Colocasia. 



630. Caladiums, botanical characters. Caladiums are 

 among the most valuable plants for summer ornamentation 

 of greenhouses. They are herbaceous perennials arising 



2c 



