124 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1892. 



and striking colors make it a very interesting and useful 

 plant. 



Galtonia candicans, better known as Hyacinthus candicans, 

 is a very showy plant, well adapted for growing in masses. It 

 sends up a scape bearing 10 to 20 white pendulous bell-shaped 

 flowers, which are quite durable. 



The Monbrettia-Tritonia is hardy and of easy cultivation 

 and very desirable. It flowers from July until frost. There 

 are a number of species and hybrids. 



The Amaryllis ( Hippeastrum ) is a genus of nearly 50 species, 

 mostly from the Cape of Good Hope. But Hippeastrum vittata 

 and its hybrids is the one most generally grown. The amaryllis 

 will flower in winter as well as summer if the season of rest is 

 shortened. The dry bulbs should be potted in a light soil, well 

 watered and put into a house kept at 50 degrees. They must 

 be abundantly supplied with water during their season of 

 growth. After flowering let the bulbs gradually dry. Seed 

 germinates very readily if planted as soon as gathered, and the 

 seedlings will bloom when about two years old. 



The Gloxinia rightly belongs to the genus Sinningia, and 

 most of them are derived from /S. speciosa. Still they are 

 commonly known as Gloxinias, and they are among the finest of 

 our summer flowering plants. They are adapted for house and 

 frame culture only. 



Their culture is as follows : As soon as the bulbs begin to 

 show new growth in the Spring (March — May) pot them in a 

 porous and very rich soil. They do best when grown in a 

 warm, moist atmosphere. When watering the leaves should 

 never be wet for they are liable to damp ofi"; and they should 

 not be placed in the bright sunlight. 



The Gloxinia has been so improved by hybridization that the 

 older varieties, pendula and horizontalis, have given place to the 

 new erecia type, with upright flowers which display their rich col- 

 oring to the best advantage. Some of the flowers in my collec- 

 tion last year measured 4J inches in diameter, and these were 

 but seedlings of the previous year. It is now useless to attempt 

 to propagate the gloxinia by leaf cuttings, as was formerly the 

 practice, for seedlings can be raised so easily and quickly, and 



